The Minnesota Wild will be without their best player, Kirill Kaprizov for 3-4 weeks after suffering a lower body injury. This news was announced today. The Wild will be hoping that Kaprizov can return as soon as possible, as he is instrumental in their success going forward. Especially when focusing on the Wilds playoff push.
The #mnwild announced All-Star Kirill Kaprizov will miss 3-4 weeks because of a lower body injury. https://t.co/5paSuEsLu9
— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) March 9, 2023
The Wild Need Kaprizov to Recover
Kaprizov suffered the injury during the third period of the Wilds win against the Winnipeg Jets. After an awkward hit by Logan Stanley. The Jets forward ended up landing on top of Kaprizov who folded under him and did the splits. The collision meant the Wild superstar headed to the bench and ultimately left the game.
The injury put a major damper on celebrating the win since Kaprizov has been a one-man army for most of the season offensively. Out of the Wilds 186 goals so far this season, Kaprizov has been directly involved in 74 of these. That’s nearly 40% of the goals scored by the Wild where Kaprizov either has scored or gotten an assist. Taking that out of the Wilds game leaves a huge gap that’s next to impossible to fill.
What Losing Kaprizov Means for the Wild
The loss of Kaprizov especially hurt the Wild when looking at the standing. The Wild are in a situation where every point matters. They are currently tied for first in the central division, with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche having games in hand. To stay in contention for the first spot, they need to win games and find goals from somewhere in the lineup.
The Wilds best chance is to hope their great goaltending continues even without Kaprizov. Since the all-star break, the Wild has gotten excellent goaltending from both Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson. This will have to continue in Kaprizovs absence since it’s unlikely the Wild are going to score themselves out of trouble without the Russian superstar. They need to keep it tight defensively and then hope someone can step up in the first-line slot.
Due to Kaprizovs injury, the Wild have internal ways to replace him. It might be a chance for Matt Boldy to first-line minutes. Awarding the American forward an opportunity to regain his form and confidence from last season. Something that would potentially bring life into the hope of a deep playoff run for the Wild. Especially if Kaprizov returns to form after his injury.
Main Photo: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
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