By Jonathan Ryan -
Minnesota Wild fans fell in love with Kirill Kaprizov before he started playing at the level he is now. He’s a special player and a rare and unique talent. Kaprizov has the work ethic to accompany the skill, which makes him even more rare and unique.
Kirill Kaprizov is built for this, and the Wild are leaning on him more than ever.
Fifteen games into the season, they are putting a lot of early miles on their Russian winger. They will need him at this current effort level and production as they head into a subtle stretch of important games through the end of November.
Seven of their next nine games are against Western Conference opponents and five of them against the Central Division. It’s still too early to know how the division will shake out. Still, it’s not too early to keep building on a strong start and create some separation between themselves and some of the biggest foes they’ll be stacked against in the playoff picture 65 games from now.
That’s where Kaprizov comes in.
Minnesota’s 27-year-old fine-tuned machine has performed impeccably this season. His offensive output is firmly stamped among the league’s Tier-1 players nearly a quarter of the way through the season.
Last year, he scored 15 points in 15 games. In 2022-23, he had 17 through 15 – great production in both seasons. He’s reached a new level this year, accumulating points rapidly, recording 28 in the first 15 games.
Given Minnesota's late November schedule, the Wild will need the best of what Kaprizov has to offer over the next two weeks. We’re hoping he’s got enough in the tank to keep producing at nearly 2 points per night.
Kaprizov is playing an average of 22 minutes per night. However, that may increase as he plays about two minutes more per night against the Central. With five games against division opponents, now isn’t the time to ease up on Minnesota’s workhorse winger.
This stretch of games may be long-forgotten by March and April. However, the Wild have 14 points on the line against the conference and 10 against the division at stake.
Minnesota is five points below the first-place Winnipeg Jets. Still, it has a five-point cushion over the Dallas Stars and six over the Colorado Avalanche. Dallas and Colorado were among the betting favorites for the Stanley Cup this season.
It’s unreasonable to expect the team to run the table over the next two weeks. However, it’s reasonable to expect the team to be able to put good teams away. The Wild have played as well as their record indicates, despite hiccups against the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks.
The Wild were not expected to be among the top teams in the West this season. The Athletic’s staff projected them to be average with one of the worst offenses in the league.
But they’ve proven that isn’t the case, and they’ve done so consistently enough to expect it to continue. Now is not the time for the Wild to feel comfortable where they are in the standings and take points away from teams they could face in the playoffs. John Hynes needs to keep his foot on the gas, ensure this team continues performing, and place itself firmly among the league’s most dangerous teams.
That’s where Kaprizov comes in.
He’s never going to complain about his minutes. It’s not easy to spot superstars with Kaprizov's work ethic. That engine is big, and he’s got new fuel in 2024-25 after missing the postseason last year.
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