Kirill Kaprizov didn’t waste any time making his point.
Seven games into the season, the Minnesota Wild winger sits atop the NHL scoring race with eight goals, and he added both of Minnesota’s goals in Tuesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. For a team that spent the offseason trying to sort out a few new pieces, Kaprizov has been the one constant - and the one player who looks fully in rhythm from the start.
That’s especially notable because plenty of the offseason conversation centered on what the Wild would lose when Mats Zuccarello headed to the Los Angeles Kings. The concern was understandable. Zuccarello wasn’t just Kaprizov’s linemate, but his wingman on the ice and his guide off it after Kaprizov arrived from the KHL before the 2020-21 season.
The connection was obvious in the numbers, too. Zuccarello assisted on 102 of Kaprizov’s 230 career goals entering this season. Over seven years in Minnesota, Zuccarello produced 118 goals and 389 points, and the Wild had to figure out how to replace that offense if they were going to go a different direction.
The move didn’t exactly come with a sure thing in return. Adding Maxim Shabanov from the New York Islanders wasn’t seen as especially reassuring.
But there was a hockey reason behind the decision, and The Athletic’s Michael Russo said Minnesota had grown tired of Zuccarello’s habit of pulling Kaprizov into “an east-west game.” Instead of attacking downhill and getting pucks to the net, the two would sometimes trade passes in search of the pretty play.
Minnesota also let go of more familiar scoring names in the offseason, with Marcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko leaving as well. Zuccarello was the emotional one, and he signed a reasonable deal with the Kings. Even so, the Wild may have gotten back the version of Kaprizov they were chasing.
There’s already proof of what that looks like. Two seasons ago, Kaprizov ripped off 23 goals and 50 points in a 34-game stretch as Minnesota climbed to a 21-10-3 record and sat near the top of the standings.
He was in the Hart Trophy conversation around Christmas before a lower-body injury changed the course of his season. The Wild faded into the playoffs and were bounced by the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
Kaprizov answered that the following season with 45 goals and 89 points in 78 games, then added four goals and 15 points in Minnesota’s 11-game playoff run. Even then, though, he didn’t always look like the guy taking full control of games, and that led to a postseason sit-down with general manager Bill Guerin.
The message tracked with the one Kaprizov had after the 2023 playoff series against the Stars with Matt Boldy: be more consistent, not just flashy when the moment feels right. Moving on from Zuccarello seemed to drive that home. The result has been a sharper, more direct Kaprizov - and a few teammates reaping the benefits with him.
Shabanov has already shown signs of the playmaking touch the Wild hoped to find, with two goals and two assists in his first seven games. Danila Yurov has also gotten a boost from the All-Russian line, scoring two goals and three points. And for John Hynes, Kaprizov’s form gives him more options late in games.
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Wild Put Carson Lambos Back In The Spotlight Before Tonights Game
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Drafted by Minnesota in the first round in 2021, Lambos has logged four games with Iowa this season and already has a taste of the NHL after making his debut in December 2025. Now he gets another chance to re-enter the picture, and with the Wild choosing to bring him up before tonights game, the spotlight is back on a prospect the team has invested in for years. [Read more 🡒]