The Minnesota Wild finally dug themselves out of the slump they’d been in the past week with an overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night, Mar. 17, on the road. Just a couple of days later, they returned home to face the same Blackhawks team on Thursday, Mar. 19, only to add more injury news to their growing list.
They’ve been without Marcus Foligno for a bit now; they added Joel Eriksson Ek prior to their last game against the Blackhawks, and now that they’re back home, they added Kirill Kaprizov to the list. Foligno did skate with the team, but there has been no update to his return. It’s still unclear with Eriksson Ek as well. Now add Kaprizov to the list, and it’s definitely a blow for Wild fans.
However, Kaprizov is listed as day-to-day, and hopefully that means he’ll only miss a game or two, but with injuries, you never know. In this article, we’ll take a look at how Kaprizov has impacted the team so far, how this can affect them now, and what the future could bring.
Kaprizov Has Been Key Piece
Everyone knows Kirill Kaprizov is a major piece of the Wild’s success and has been since he joined the team back in the 2020 season. He’s a gifted goal-scorer and skater, brings the energy to make everyone better, and he hadn’t missed a game yet this season. He’s played in all 69 games up to this point and, of course, leads the team in points with 80, 38 goals that had him tied with Matt Boldy, and 42 assists, which led the team.
Out of his now six-year career, Kaprizov has reached over 100 points just once, but this season looked to be different. While he mainly gets noticed for his offensive contributions, obviously, especially since the arrival of Quinn Hughes, he has worked hard to be part of the defense as well. In the past, he wasn’t always a part of the backcheck, but this season, he’s worked hard to be a part of it.
He’s even been right in the thick of it, helping his teammates clear out the front of the net and blocking shots. Many may think he shouldn’t have to do that since he’s more of a scorer/playmaker type, but it’s important he helps out on the defensive side of things as well. He’s proving to be more of an all-around player and not just offense, which is why he’s become even more important for the Wild, and if this injury isn’t short-term, they’ll miss him even more.
Kaprizov’s Absence Okay Now
Right now, the Wild have a spot in the postseason, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change with the difference in points. They have a pretty comfortable spot, so losing Kaprizov now shouldn’t be too horrible. Of course, he’s an important piece to the lineup, and they’d much rather have him in the lineup than out, but if it has to happen, they’d rather have him healthy down the road.
There will be just 12 games left after their bout with the Blackhawks, and this could give other players a chance to get in the lineup and get some reps in before the run for the postseason. They do have some big games left in this final stretch, but if he’s not 100 percent, if he played, he could do worse damage and not be available later when they need him 100 percent healthy, if possible.
It does feel like a huge blow because of his past injury issues, but hopefully, whatever the issue is, they caught it early enough to let him rest for a few days and be back to it better than before. Hockey players are known for playing through injuries, and that is something the Wild don’t want Kaprizov doing. They have a few young players like Hunter Haight who can have a shot and see if they can prove they’re worth calling up if an injury were to happen in the postseason.
Wild Need Kaprizov Healthy Down the Stretch
This could be something very simple that just needs a few days’ rest, and with where the Wild are sitting in the playoff race, they felt comfortable having him not play. Michael Russo of The Athletic posted he was in morning skate, so it came as a bit of a surprise, but hopefully that means it’s nothing too serious.
With the postseason so close, it’s a battle of wanting Kaprizov in the lineup so he’s skating and ready to go, but at the same time, he’s not going to be very helpful if he’s still hurt. They’ve seen both sides of his game when he’s healthy and when he’s not. While he’s impactful in both, they need him healthy, especially if they want to make a deep run.
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Only time will tell whether this is something to worry about or not. Of course, anytime Kaprizov is hurt, it’s normal to worry because of the impact he has on this team, but in terms of day-to-day, it shouldn’t be too alarming. Hopefully, he takes a few days and does what needs to be done and returns sooner rather than later, ready to go and help this team get some wins heading into the postseason.
