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  • Kirill Kaprizov Is About To Break More Records

    Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images
    Tony Abbott

    By Tony Abbott -

    Coming into the season, Kirill Kaprizov had a reputation for being a slow-ish starter who increases his production throughout the season. His career splits by month showed that October was his slowest month, during which he "only" scored 26 points in 25 games. 

    Well, if this is Kaprizov's "slow" month, we can all hand him the Hart Trophy right now.

    The superstar winger just put the finishing touches on an October, in which he ripped through the NHL like Ash Williams' chainsaw through Deadites.

    Kaprizov is tied with Mark Stone for the NHL lead in points (18), and he's the only player in the NHL to average 2.0 points per game. He's been the driving force on a Minnesota Wild team that got the hot start they coveted, with a 6-1-2 record that has them tied with the Dallas Stars for second in the Central Division.

    And if you think that's nutty... we're just getting started.

    Kaprizov rewriting Minnesota Wild's record books isn't exactly new. He's been doing it since he was a rookie, and there are more records to come. But this hot start is just the latest series of relatively-obscure-but-still-awesome franchise records to start tumbling.

    It might not surprise you, but 18 points is the most in franchise history through nine games, and it's not particularly close. Here are the top-12 starts through nine contests:

    2024-25 Kaprizov, 18
    2002-03 Marian Gaborik, 13
    2008-09 Mikko Koivu, 13
    2006-07 Brian Rolston, 12
    2022-23 Mats Zuccarello, 12
    2001-02 Gaborik, 12
    2022-23 Kaprizov, 11
    2005-06 Marc Chouinard, 11
    2024-25 Matt Boldy, 11
    2005-06 Gaborik, 11
    2021-22 Zuccarello, 11
    2018-19 Zach Parise, 11

    And we will see these records continue to fall for the next three games. The franchise record for the most points through a dozen games is 16 (Gaborik, twice). All Kaprizov needs to do to secure that record is not anger an NHL official scorer to the point where they un-credit him with two assists.

    That feels like a safe bet.

    But hey, how impressive is it when you look outside the historically low-scoring Wild? Are we just congratulating Kaprizov for clearing a relatively low bar?

    It turns out: No. Once we widen our scope to the entire NHL during the salary cap era, we see that Kaprizov is tied for the fifth-most points through nine games. His competition?

    2023-24 Jack Hughes, 20
    2021-22 Leon Draisaitl, 20
    2021-22 Connor McDavid, 19
    2005-06 Thomas Vanek, 19
    2024-25 Kaprizov, 18

    The players joining the 18-thru-9 Club alongside Kaprizov are Steven Stamkos, Evgeni Malkin, Jesper Bratt, and Martin Havlat. Folks... is it good to have a hotter start than, say, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, Auston Matthews, and a host of brilliant scorers ever had?

    Let's go on a limb and say: Probably.

    That's exciting enough, and then you compound it by remembering that Kaprizov tends to take his time to pick up speed, then becomes unstoppable. In his three full seasons, he's put up the following statistics from November 1 on:

    2021-22: 47 goals, 102 points in 73 games
    2022-23: 34 goals, 64 points in 58 games
    2023-24: 44 goals, 87 points in 64 games

    If we assume he plays the final 73 games of the season, just by projecting a "normal" November-to-April campaign for Kaprizov, we come to a potential 52-goal, 113-point season. While that season would put him (again) "only" fifth-most in the NHL in points last season, a 50-goal, 110-point season would still be incredibly rarified air in the modern NHL.

    The Salary Cap Era has only seen six players accomplish the feat: Ovechkin (twice), Draisaitl (twice), Jaromir Jagr, McDavid, David Pastrnak, and Nathan MacKinnon. Again, pick your favorite high-scoring icon of the last two decades. You won't find their name here.

    And, by the way, those eight seasons have four Hart Trophies between them, as well as two runners-up. Just a little something to think about as Kaprizov seeks to build off this blistering start.

    By Tony Abbott  

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    MNCountryLife

    Kirill and Ek are two players with an incredible desire to win.  Both are making the players around them better.  Sure is fun to watch.  Inspiring an entire team to be better.

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    Up North Guy
    1 hour ago, Lovehockey said:

    Just keep the other teams in check if they try to take him out of the game with questionable hits. I saw one in the last game in Pittsburgh behind the net. 

    This is where MnFanInNC's theory of relativity comes into play. Other teams go after KK, our guys go after their stars. It is the only way it works. Going after their 4th liners is a huge waste. The Wild have several players capable of accomplishing this. "Turn loose the hounds"!

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    mnfaninnc

    I'm not so sure that Kaprizov will improve like other years. I think he just started his season this year by spinning the wheels just before the opener.

    What it looks like to me is that when Kaprizov says something, he's pretty honest about it and isn't talking cliches. He says not making the playoffs last year was embarrassing. Well, he just put the franchise on his back this month to make sure that poor start doesn't happen again. 

    Ek has a similar mentality. I assume the elbow to his neck was what LoveHockey saw in the Pittsburgh game. One other guy to mention here is Faber, he's got that same desire.

    If we are going to grab a free agent or 2 next season, my #1 thing to look at is going to be their desire to win. Fill a franchise with guys like that, and I'm pretty sure Kaprizov will be signing on around August next year (depending on where he spends the summer). This was one reason why I so highly recommended B. Tkachuk in a trade. He has that. The hope is that Boldy picks up on it too.

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    FredJohnson
    2 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

    This is where MnFanInNC's theory of relativity comes into play. Other teams go after KK, our guys go after their stars. It is the only way it works. Going after their 4th liners is a huge waste. The Wild have several players capable of accomplishing this. "Turn loose the hounds"!

    Except that other team's whiney coaches poison officials by saying we commit a lot of penalties. So when we go after their stars we get called for it.

    H0IU.gif

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    Up North Guy
    2 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

    Except that other team's whiney coaches poison officials by saying we commit a lot of penalties. So when we go after their stars we get called for it.

    we get called for it anyway. We may as well impose our will and let the chips fall where they may.

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    1Brotherbill
    4 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

    If we are going to grab a free agent or 2 next season, my #1 thing to look at is going to be their desire to win. Fill a franchise with guys like that, and I'm pretty sure Kaprizov will be signing on around August next year (depending on where he spends the summer). This was one reason why I so highly recommended B. Tkachuk in a trade. He has that. The hope is that Boldy picks up on it too.

    Isn't that what you always want in a signed player?

    The thing with the free agents is the ones that are good and desirable are either expensive or old.  The ones that you look at as a possible future are RFA's.  

    I would personally be fine with the Wild tendering an offer to Gabe Valardi from Winnipeg.  Someone who is south of 30 who is on a team that might have a difficult time signing him.  Get him off a rival and have him here in the State of Hockey for 10 years.  

    It's all nice to think that we can sign Brock Boeser to a team friendly contract but even with that we wouldn't have much left of the the 17 million.

    I would personally wait and see what they team does this year.  As it stands contacts that everyone say are horrible will fall off the books when the projected elite talent starts arriving in St. Paul.

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    mnfaninnc
    12 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

    Isn't that what you always want in a signed player?

    As an untrained eye, and by that I mean most everyone commenting on here, including the writers, we have more of a tendency to look regular statistical numbers, and underlying analytical numbers to value a player. Rarely does anyone look them straight in the eye and see whether or not they have an undying drive to win, or in some cases not to lose.  

    You're right about the UFAs, they tend to be older and on the downside of their career, and I am a huge advocate for offersheeting an RFA (if you can't trade for them). I thought St. Louis was brilliant going after Broberg and Holloway (sp) even if they don't work out to their contract. For $6+m, St. Louis added 2 1st round picks, one early and one mid round. The most interesting part of this deal, was that Army found Edmonton in a cap strapped position giving them a week to figure it out. They couldn't and had to let those guys go. But, what about retaliation? Army is retiring after this year! Brilliant!

    We have a very good prospect pool right now, probably more players than we will ever see make the N on a regular basis. If we were going to use picks to subsidize gaining talent, this is the time. However, back to the original point: some players are there for the money, some players are very talented, not all players are there with a drive to win. Those guys usually do not become available, you have to steal them.

    Note to Guerin: take care of your own before doing this. You don't want to lose someone on a retaliatory offer.

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    mnfaninnc
    13 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

    we get called for it anyway. We may as well impose our will and let the chips fall where they may.

    Another one of my tenants: if you're going to get penalized, earn it! Make it worth while.

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    Pewterschmidt
    9 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    St. Louis was brilliant going after Broberg and Holloway

    Watched STL v PHI last night.  Broberg is going to be a beast for years.  Big, physical and good handles.  Halloway pretty invisible.  I think the EDM GM made mistake not matching Broberg 

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    Pewterschmidt
    Just now, Pewterschmidt said:

    Watched STL v PHI last night.  Broberg is going to be a beast for years.  Big, physical and good handles.  Halloway pretty invisible.  I think the EDM GM made mistake not matching Broberg 

    Also, Konecny is a hella skilled

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    mnfaninnc
    9 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    Yes bottom 6 I believe

    I assume he's on the 3rd line, wouldn't invisible be the way you'd want it? Visible would likely mean mistakes and getting scored upon, wouldn't it?

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    Pewterschmidt
    13 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    I assume he's on the 3rd line, wouldn't invisible be the way you'd want it? Visible would likely mean mistakes and getting scored upon, wouldn't it?

    I think i understand the point your making.  aka a defenseman you don't notice is invisible because he's never getting burned.

    Halloway was more Ogzy invisible

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    mnfaninnc
    4 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    I think i understand the point your making.  aka a defenseman you don't notice is invisible because he's never getting burned.

    Halloway was more Ogzy invisible

    I thought I remembered Halloway's draft potential as a middle 6 center. Perhaps he can still grow to get to line 2, but right now he should be concentrating on shutting everyone down.

    Quote

    Holloway consistently applies pressure on the backcheck, pickpockets puck-carriers, makes timely hits, wields a disruptive stick -- you name it. He never flees the zone early and is a capable east-west attacker who shields the puck from opposing defenders really well. -EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide

    Does this describe him?

    He's pretty close to a +/-0 on the scoresheet. I suppose we will call this a low event player. Someone who's responsible in their own end and doesn't take a lot of chances. IE, an invisible player. He's also 23, so this really should be his rookie year. I expect he'll be improved. I like the build: 6'1" 205. How come other organizations can get their guys over 200?

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    Tony Abbott
    18 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

    If we are going to grab a free agent or 2 next season, my #1 thing to look at is going to be their desire to win. Fill a franchise with guys like that, and I'm pretty sure Kaprizov will be signing on around August next year (depending on where he spends the summer). This was one reason why I so highly recommended B. Tkachuk in a trade. He has that. The hope is that Boldy picks up on it too.

    Guy who wants to win so bad that he's never been to the playoffs.

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    mnfaninnc
    11 minutes ago, Tony Abbott said:

    Guy who wants to win so bad that he's never been to the playoffs

    I'll give you that, but it's not due to his play. You'd be rescuing a guy like that from a franchise that just can't put it together. Many of his meltdowns come due to a lack of winning. Look at the pedigree, his dad and brother are built the same way. Put Brady on a team that can win and he will make a huge difference. Matthew did that for Florida, especially in the playoffs. Brady is the kind of kid who can win you a series.

    A Tkachuk is one of the few players that I would buy high on. Finding guys like that do not come around so commonly, uber talented and desire to win. Another guy to keep an eye on is this Lindstrom kid who, I think, is in the CBJ organization. He'd been compared to the Tkachuks. 

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    TheGoosesAreLooses

    I would like to see them go out and get a RHD in the free agency market instead. IF you could entice a guy like Dobson on an offer sheet I think you pull the trigger. 

    Our top six is pretty solid and we have some good talent showcasing next year. Our right side on D is getting older and a guy like spurg may need someone in line for the heir. 

    If Yurov is anything like he projects we could be in a really good spot come next year. Resign guys like Rossi, Khus and Lauko and I think we look pretty solid. I don't think any of the three guys listed have hit their ceiling just yet.

    It is early yet but I think this team has looked pretty solid, despite my fears starting out this year. Zucc may still take a step back at some point

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    MNCountryLife

    I prefer building through the draft rather than trading for players.  Players are younger and less prone to injuries.  If our prospect pool is so large that we can't use them all, trade them out for future draft picks and try to move up in the draft to get higher picks.  The goal should be two fold... always have 1 or 2 new draft picks starting every year.... try to have 3 picks in the first 2 round of the draft.  My biggest problem with this is that I don't think IA is very good at preparing players for the N.  

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    Protec

    I think Kaprizov and the Norwegian Hobbit have a year for the record books. The PP has been consistently better. 

    The start has been better for Kirill. He could get going good and have an amazing back half. Last season his scoring pace late in the season was unmatched. 

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