The Olympic Break Could Be A Second-Half Catalyst For Kaprizov

As the calendar flips to 2026, the hockey world is eagerly awaiting the rosters for next month's Olympic Games. While fans in Minnesota are getting a taste of international hockey with the World Juniors, that's nothing compared to what's on deck. With the NHL finally back in the Games after a 12-year absence, we get to see the best of the best compete for the highest stakes.

Or at least, most of the best of the best.

Since 2022, the IIHF has banned Russia and Belarus from international play over the war in Ukraine. That ban means superstars like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Aliaksei Protas won't participate in the Milan-Cortina Games. Without weighing in too heavily on geopolitical affairs, it's kind of a bummer that a historical hockey powerhouse like Russia is on the outside looking in for this tournament. It's not like Nikita Kucherov is driving a tank into Kyiv, you know?

Of course, that affects Kirill Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild's first superstar. Watching him take the ice with Ovechkin, getting pucks fed to him from all-time playmakers like Malkin, Kucherov, and Artemi Panarin would be something to behold. No offense to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter back in 2014, but Wild fans haven't gotten to see players as great as Kaprizov represent the franchise on the international stage. Or at least, not until Quinn Hughes takes the ice for Team USA.

Instead, Kaprizov gets three weeks in February to rest up and do whatever he wants. Maybe he'll take the opportunity to go home. Perhaps he'll put his feet up, recover from the first half of the season, and get to 100%. Heck, he could take some time to do some light tampering, campaigning for someone like Evgeni Malkin to come to St. Paul for a playoff run. Just kidding! Ha ha! (Please do this.) Jokes are fun!

Kaprizov won't get to play for (another) gold medal, and it'd be surprising if that fact isn't eating away at him. Weirdly enough, though, this might be the best thing for him and the Wild. Three weeks of recovery time are a godsend, and it's one that's not being afforded to most other superstars in the league.

The NHL's condensed schedule, in place to accommodate the three-week Olympic break, has been a gauntlet for teams. Injuries appear to be up, which makes sense given the reduced recovery time. Wild fans saw their team play eight games in 13 days in mid-December, and those kinds of stretches have been the status quo for most teams. Practices are all but a thing of the past, with teams looking for any time to get rest.

An 82-game season was already grueling before the condensed schedule came into play. Now add the extra grind of five or six extra games -- games in a playoff-like environment -- for many of the NHL's best players. Suddenly, the Wild have an opportunity with Kaprizov.

Looking at the Western Conference's five main contenders, we can see that almost all of their superstars are almost guaranteed to take on that extra workload. We can see that the Wild are about to be hit fairly hard by it, as well.

Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews (CAN), Martin Nečas (CZE)
Dallas Stars: Thomas Harley (CAN), Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen (FIN), Jake Oettinger (USA)
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid (CAN), Leon Draisaitl (GER)
Minnesota Wild: Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Gustavsson (SWE), Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, Quinn Hughes (USA)
Vegas Golden Knights: Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore (CAN), Tomáš Hertl (CZE), Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin (USA)

That's not surprising: The best players get to go to the Olympics, and the best teams have a wealth of great players. But the opportunity for the Wild exists in the star players who aren't going to the Olympics. At least in the West, it's not a long list. Most of the superstar Russians getting a break -- the Kucherovs, Panarins, Andrei Svechnikovs, and Igor Shesterkins of the world -- are in the Eastern Conference. No offense to Valeri Nichushkin or Pavel Dorofeyev, but three extra weeks of rest for them aren't going to turn them into a game-changing force. 

For an all-world talent like Kaprizov, a small edge pushing his game up another notch could spark an MVP-type run. Despite having 23 goals and 47 points this year (a 46-goal, 94-point pace), we haven't seen Kaprizov at his best. One really only needs to look to last season to confirm it, as Kaprizov had 25 goals and 56 points in 41 games.

The superstar has been in the lineup for every game, but is he truly recovered from the lower-body injuries that plagued him last year? As well as he's played, Wild fans have had to wonder about lingering effects. If that's the case, then the three weeks of rest are a massive boon for him.

Especially since Kaprizov's powers usually seem to grow as the season goes on. As the playoffs draw near, Kaprizov turns on the burners when it comes crashing the net and getting goals. Just look at what he accomplishes in (roughly) the second half of the season.

82-Game Scoring Pace, Kirill Kaprizov, Career:

October to January: 42 goals, 99 points
February and Beyond: 55 goals, 97 points

Maybe his overall production doesn't increase, but goals are more valuable than assists. When teams are getting desperate, making their final pushes for the playoffs, Kaprizov is still able to get on the board and arguably shines brighter in those games than in the early part of the year.

Combine this with getting to stand still while MacKinnon, Makar, McDavid, Draisaitl, Rantanen, Heiskanen, Eichel, Marner, and Stone are going to be traveling across the world to get a playoff series' worth of wear and tear. Kaprizov might have something to say about the way the Central Division shakes out because of the benefit of rest.

The Stars are the only other team getting this sort of break in February. They have a similar advantage because Jason Robertson was snubbed from Team USA. Dallas, of course, is currently slated (locked in???) to be the Wild's first-round opponent, so that might offset some of the advantage Minnesota might get from resting Kaprizov.

Still, if Kaprizov can capitalize on the downtime and get his fastball back, the Wild would probably be glad to take their chances against the Stars, even if everyone there in Dallas is fresh and healthy. When Kaprizov is on the tippy-top of his game, he's an MVP-caliber player. If he gets back to that pinnacle, there may be no stopping him, or Minnesota, in April.