NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reacts to Kaprizov/Russia reports
A day after Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov's name came up in a potential investigation of fraudulent military cards in Russia, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman urged Russian players to make solid choices during the offseason.
“I don’t want to say anything that could be misconstrued or cause an inflammation of a sensitive situation," Bettman told reporters prior to the opening round of Thursday night's NHL Draft. "...The Russian players that still reside in Russia need to make sure they’re making the best possible decisions for themselves and their families."
“We probably don’t have the full story as to what’s going on in terms of what each player’s relationship is in Russia with respect to the government, and we’re going to have to respect the process as to what goes on," Bettman added.
“I think it’s probably not a good idea for us or the clubs to get involved in the politics of what’s going on in Russia. I think players need to make sure they’re comfortable in what they’re doing and where they’re doing it.”
Related: Brian Murphy: Wild aren't panicking about Kaprizov, but they should be
The safety of Russian players has been placed under the spotlight this offseason amid the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Associated Press, Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov was reportedly picked up in Russia after allegedly trying to evade military service. On Thursday, Kaprizov's name came up in an unconfirmed report from the Sport-Express in Russia that alleged he bought a fake military ID in 2017 – something his father denies.
Although there were conflicting reports on whether Kaprizov had returned to the U.S., Wild general manager Bill Guerin told The Athletic's Michael Russo that Kaprizov is not stateside, and that the team was trying to sort out the information.
Bill Guerin on #mnwild’s Kirill Kaprizov reports: “We're trying to find out as much as we can, but we're not worried too much about it. We're not going to push the panic button. We're just trying to gather information and find out if this is even credible.”
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) July 6, 2022
Russo and The Athletic's Dan Robson also reported that the Wild had asked if Kaprizov if he would stay in the U.S. this offseason but he wanted to return after not seeing his friends or family the past year.
