Article: When Will Kirill Kaprizov Catch Fire Again?

[Eric Forga]

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[Lovehockey]

Kaprisov will catch  fire when he will be surrounded by the better players. zucarello is still good but u definitely can see his age. And Yorov is promising but as of now not even close to be first (and probably) second center. So aside from power plays he basically working and scoring at 70 % along . And it is easy to see if u look how Boldy -Ek work. Johansson play definitely helps as well. 

[Pewterschmidt]

He got the game winning assist with a greasy sauce pass that very few players on this roster could execute.  

[Dis-allowed display name]

I notice his line gets shut down a lot, and when I am noticing this, I am often noticing the defensemen on this ice with him are not Hughes and Boldy.  

I have no problem with Zucc because they work so well together, but he could really use a big center who has to draw attention in front of the net, or a highly skilled center that draws a little more heat.  I almost feel Ek might be the best option right now, but that probably screws up the lines a bit.

[OldDutchChip]

he is saving it for conn smythe run while acclimating to a new center and a new D1 force (both need to iron out some timing and roles before becoming best version of themselves) and yes that injury is still fresh on his mind. 

i still think he finishes the year at 100 pts mark

[Burnt Toast]

41 minutes ago, Dis-allowed display name said:

he could really use a big center

This is my hope for the Trade Deadline. Just get the best available willing to come to MN. 

[ArizonaWildFan]

This isn't a knock on Yurov, but with the current roster I think Hartman needs to slot in between Kaprizov and Zuccarello, leave Ek-Boldy-Johansson in tact, go back to the Red Army line of Yurov, Tarasenko and Trenin, and finish with Sturm, Foligno and Hinostroza.

Hartman elevates his game on the top line and has a better read of the game than Yurov does at this point of his young career. Kaprizov's numbers would be better IMO with Ek or Rossi centering,  but those aren't options.

Put the Red Army line either before or after Kaprizov's line and let him take Trenin's spot a few shifts a game to give that line a little more offensive pop.

I haven't looked at the stats and crunched numbers, but the anemic first PP unit of Kaprizov, Boldy, Ek, Zuccarello and Hughes are not helping Kaprizov's numbers right now. No sense of urgency and too much perimeter puck movement. I would replace Zuccarello with either Faber or Hartman. Hartman gives an additional net front presence and is a good face off option with Ek. Faber ran the point prior to Hughes arrival and was very successful.

The Olympic roster freeze and the TDL are approaching quickly. There doesn't appear to be any great 1C options on the horizon. HCJH and GMBG better figure out how to make the current roster work. The back-to-back in LA was like the first two games of a playoff series and we know how that went. Sadly, it's beginning to look a lot like deja vu all over again. 

[Pewterschmidt]

BJ is back

#freebenjones

[FredJohnson]

4 hours ago, Burnt Toast said:

This is my hope for the Trade Deadline. Just get the best available willing to come to MN. 

Charlie Stramel??

[Rohn]

IMHO, Kirill's lower body injury dates back nearly three years, when Winnipeg's Jolly Green Giant, Logan Stanley, flopped into him, smashing Kirill flat with his leg splayed into the splits.  There's your groin injury, AKA the lower body injury that recurred and cost Kirill half of last season.  Last January's operation for the "lower body injury" must not have fully healed with Stanley did to him.  That's just my take, of course.  I'd be grateful to be disabused of this notion, if factual statements to the contrary have been issued by the Wild or by Kirill.  Alternate theories to mine are welcome also.    

[Quebec1648]

43 minutes ago, Rohn said:

IMHO, Kirill's lower body injury dates back nearly three years, when Winnipeg's Jolly Green Giant, Logan Stanley, flopped into him, smashing Kirill flat with his leg splayed into the splits.  There's your groin injury, AKA the lower body injury that recurred and cost Kirill half of last season.  Last January's operation for the "lower body injury" must not have fully healed with Stanley did to him.  That's just my take, of course.  I'd be grateful to be disabused of this notion, if factual statements to the contrary have been issued by the Wild or by Kirill.  Alternate theories to mine are welcome also.    

The Logan Stanley incident combined with an aging Zuccarello, are the primary reasons I continually advocate for Bill Guerin to swing a trade for Brady Tkachuk or someone like him. A Kaprizov - Tkachuk combo addresses both issues, it gives Kaprizov a new dynamic partner for when Zuccarello retires, while also adding a big body to ward off any future repeats of the Logan Stanley incident.

If we had Brady Tkachuk on the roster back when the Stanley incident occurred, either it might be avoided altogether, or Brady Tkachuk would respond to Stanley.

[mnfaninnc]

15 hours ago, Quebec1648 said:

If we had Brady Tkachuk on the roster back when the Stanley incident occurred, either it might be avoided altogether, or Brady Tkachuk would respond to Stanley.

For me, this wasn't about the name on the back of the jersey, but about the name on the front. Hartman did respond by reverse checking an unsuspecting Ehlers later that knocked him out for the rest of the regular season that year. 

Sometimes, you need to respond to the guy. Other times, I believe the best way to handle it is to take out their stars. It could have been open season on Scheifele, Connor, Ehlers and Morrissey, with runs at Hellebuyck. The big problem here is that there isn't always action, and MN has a reputation of yelling a lot with no enforcement. 

Speaking of Kaprizov's health, to me, he has pretty much eliminated his 10-2 lateral movement, and I think he's carrying the puck forward too much which is susceptible to poke checks. Those quick 10-2 moves would have Kaprizov juking around you, so without that in his arsenal, players can poke without the risk of him going right around them. 

 

[mnfaninnc]

Part of the problem with Kaprizov's production, I think, is that he's breaking in a new center. Teams have already figured out that Zuccy will look 1st, 2nd, and 3rd to Kaprizov and they are shutting down those lanes. Yurov is going to be real good, and has made several nice skilled plays lately. He's getting better. 

At issue here is the ability to bury his chances, because many are grade A. When he starts burying them, then I think Kaprizov's numbers will start elevating again. 

Case in point, last night could have been a 5 pt. night for both players except Serokin stood on his head, especially in the 3rd period. Yurov, himself, had a hat trick worth of grade A chances in 2 shifts if he could have buried them. He's playing faster with some real creative skill. Let's just give him the minutes and let him keep getting better.

[Pablo]

Last night against the islanders for example. KK was a victim of bad puck luck.  He seems to be settling into a superstar role where he picks his spots and wont be in a vulnerable position where he can get hurt. Playing smarter sometimes leaves opportunities on the ice without the puck in the net. 

[Quebec1648]

3 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Part of the problem with Kaprizov's production, I think, is that he's breaking in a new center. Teams have already figured out that Zuccy will look 1st, 2nd, and 3rd to Kaprizov and they are shutting down those lanes. Yurov is going to be real good, and has made several nice skilled plays lately. He's getting better. 

At issue here is the ability to bury his chances, because many are grade A. When he starts burying them, then I think Kaprizov's numbers will start elevating again. 

Case in point, last night could have been a 5 pt. night for both players except Serokin stood on his head, especially in the 3rd period. Yurov, himself, had a hat trick worth of grade A chances in 2 shifts if he could have buried them. He's playing faster with some real creative skill. Let's just give him the minutes and let him keep getting better.

Another issue, is that Zuccarello prioritizes being the setup man for Kaprizov, so that takes away the need for other teams to guard against a Zuccarello scoring play. If you know Zuccarello is going to pass, you can rotate an extra defender to help cover Kaprizov or Yurov. Zuccarello does score some goals, but he should put more emphasis on shooting the puck, to make it more confusing for the defenders.

Edited January 11 by Quebec1648

[FredJohnson]

Start by buckling that chin strap. 

[Scalptrash]

He got his money, guaranteed, what else does he need to prove? He knows the Wild still aren't serious about pursuing a cup. The cupboards are nearly empty now and pieces are still missing. Two shots at it with the current roster? Good luck.

[Sam]

54 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

He got his money, guaranteed, what else does he need to prove? He knows the Wild still aren't serious about pursuing a cup. The cupboards are nearly empty now and pieces are still missing. Two shots at it with the current roster? Good luck.

Shirley, the Wild are serious about going after a cup. I think that’s part of the agenda.

[greg]

One other possible reason for "down production" could be that last year before the injury he was concerned about his upcoming contract.  Its always interesting how many players play great during a contract year then slack off when they get what they wanted.  Just saying.

[Enforceror]

I don't think KK is slacking. The big contract $ may have put added pressure on him to perform, which can get in your head....and it's not like he's not scoring. Just not at the rate we usually associate. I think our flimsy PP has a lot to do with that, for whatever reason. I also noticed briefly during the last game he was rotating his hand/wrist. I remember earlier in the season he had trouble with that. Could be lingering.

[ArizonaWildFan]

The Devils are in town on a serious losing streak and likely not a playoff team. Is today the day to make the next blockbuster trade?

Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes and Jacob Markstrom for Charlie Stramel, David Jiricek, Filip Gustavsson and the 2027 first round pick.

Pretty salty!

[mnfaninnc]

On 1/11/2026 at 2:09 PM, Quebec1648 said:

Another issue, is that Zuccarello prioritizes being the setup man for Kaprizov, so that takes away the need for other teams to guard against a Zuccarello scoring play. If you know Zuccarello is going to pass, you can rotate an extra defender to help cover Kaprizov or Yurov. Zuccarello does score some goals, but he should put more emphasis on shooting the puck, to make it more confusing for the defenders.

An ongoing cat and mouse type of issue. Playmakers, have to show they can shoot, and will shoot and constantly have to know when they're getting played to pass. That probably would explain when Zuccy gets hot with goals.

But, he's back into that passing state. Probably the best example of this was the Seattle game. I think I remember Stalock/LaPanta talking about how Zuccarello is back to himself with the OT goal there. This is not at all the case, and anyone who was watching and analyzing would note that he should have had a hat trick before OT but CHOSE to pass up high danger chances with a pass that was blocked or tipped to Kaprizov. You have to bury those! And, this specifically falls under the coaching staff not telling him he HAS TO SHOOT to back off the anticipation of pass. It should have been done after the 1st debacle in Seattle. It NEEDS to be done now.