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Wild Frustrated With Kirill Kaprizov Injury

The Minnesota Wild are not happy with the NHL as Kirill Kaprizov's injury status remains uncertain.

Nick Horwat

Nov 16, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) brings the puck up ice against the Dallas Stars in the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) brings the puck up ice against the Dallas Stars in the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
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The Minnesota Wild wanted more from their superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov to start the 2024-25 season, and they got it. In 19 games played, Kaprizov led the Wild with a whopping 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 total points.

Kaprizov is not only leading the Wild, but an early leader for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player. Everything is being put on hold, however, as Kaprizov is set to have an MRI for a lower-body injury.

The Wild were forced to play without Kaprizov against the Calgary Flames, and Elliotte Friedman indicates on Saturday Headlines there is some ‘frustration’ with the situation. Not toward Kaprizov, but more with how the league has handled multiple injuries to their star.

“There’s a lot of frustration,” Friedman said. “The team is really disappointed, and just really upset with the situation. Nobody is saying there’s deliberate intent to injure here, but this is the second time in Kaprizov’s career he’s been injured on kind of a weird play… On both plays no penalty.”

Friedman looked at Kaprizov’s most recent injury and one from March of 2023, and how they were both strange plays that were deemed clean by officials.

In his most recent one against the Edmonton Oilers, Drake Caggiula catches Kaprizov with knee-on-knee contact. Kaprizov returned to the game but missed the contest with the Flames awaiting an MRI back in Minnesota.

The other clip was a game against the Winnipeg Jets when Logan Stanley catches Kaprizov with a hit and somehow lands on top of him from a standing position. Stanley crunches Kaprizov to the ice before he was out for the next month of the season.

“The Wild, I think, are just frustrated disappointed, and upset that they are potentially facing another absence on their star player,” Friedman said. “And there’s just been no penalty on either play.”

Friedman notes that there really isn’t much the Wild organization can do, but the aren’t happy about the situation they are all of a sudden in.

“I don’t know if there’s a solution to this, but they are definitely venting their frustration about it.”

The Wild aren’t sure yet how long they will be without their MVP candidate. Kaprizov has been one of the league’s best players to start the year and a big reason for the Wild’s early success. They’ll just have to wait and see what’s to come from Kaprizov’s MRI.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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