The Minnesota Wild made one of their biggest offseason moves by letting Mats Zuccarello walk, and the ripple effect could reach all the way to Kirill Kaprizov.
Zuccarello was more than just another veteran forward in Minnesota. Over seven seasons, he produced 118 goals and 389 points, became a reliable offensive presence and, just as importantly, grew into a trusted friend for Kaprizov both on and off the ice. So when the Wild allowed him to leave for an incentive-laden deal with the Los Angeles Kings this summer, it naturally raised eyebrows.
What may surprise some fans even more is that general manager Bill Guerin never brought Kaprizov into the conversation.
“I don’t talk to players like that because you know what? That puts them in a really awkward position,” Guerin said during an appearance on SKOR North’s Judd’s Hockey Show on Tuesday.
“Those guys are buddies, man. I’m not putting that on them.
If I ever wanted a players’ opinion, it’d be just kind of like…’What do you think of this guy or that guy [that’s] not on the team?’... I would never [say] ‘Hey, should we get this guy or should we let this guy go?’
“That puts our players in a really bad spot, and it’s not their job. That’s my job you know and it’s the hockey operations.
That’s what we’re getting paid for and honestly, it’s things like that you’ve just got to protect your players from. Sometimes they think they want to coach or manage.
But what they really want to do is play.”
That stance makes sense, especially when you consider how close Kaprizov and Zuccarello were. At $17 million per season, Kaprizov is one of the four pillars of the franchise along with Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber and Matt Boldy, and it would have been easy to imagine him pushing to keep a friend around for one more run.
But there’s another side to this, and it’s one the Wild may have been willing to gamble on: Zuccarello might have been pulling Kaprizov into a style that no longer fit.
Zuccarello turns 39 in September, and he has played 70 games just once since signing with Minnesota before the 2019-20 season. The Athletic’s Michael Russo also reported that the Wild wanted to move away from the “East-West” game that Zuccarello “dragged” Kaprizov into at times. Guerin seemed to echo that idea on Tuesday.
“Zuccy had some great years with us and he was an important part of the team,” Guerin added. “A very popular guy, tight with Kirill obviously.
…It’s just one of those things that at some point in time, things have to change. You don’t have to go through a full fire sale, where you’re making massive changes…But at some point in time, we have to change a bit.
…We have our core guys, it’s just time to do something a little bit different.”
Now the Wild are betting they can replace what they lost and keep Kaprizov moving forward. Minnesota is down 150 combined points from last season after Marcus Johansson returned to Sweden and Zuccarello signed with the Kings. Vladimir Tarasenko is still a free agent, but he is not expected to return.
That puts more pressure on the names the Wild have added. Bobby Brink, acquired at last year’s trade deadline, is expected to help.
Maxim Shabanov could also be part of the answer after signing as a free agent and entering his second full year after coming over from the KHL. Danila Yurov is another internal option if he starts the season with Minnesota.
And there is still the possibility of a blockbuster trade next offseason that could make Kaprizov even better.
Losing Zuccarello still hurts, at least on paper. But Kaprizov scored 45 goals and finished with 89 points last season, and if the absence of his close friend helps unlock another level, the Wild may end up believing they protected their star from himself.
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