Kirill giving Wild a thrill
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Wary of all kinds of pressure on Kirill Kaprizov and resolute in their team-first culture, the Wild tried to keep a lid on the fanfare enveloping his arrival in the NHL.
“I was nervous about the incredible expectations, because our fan base has waited five years for this kid, and he’s had such success,” said general manager Bill Guerin, nodding to Kaprizov’s game-winner that gave Russia the 2018 Olympic gold medal and back-to-back seasons leading the Kontinental Hockey League in goals.
One game in, all bets were off.
Kaprizov intercepted a pass on Jan. 14 in Los Angeles, bolted toward the net on a breakaway, used a slick rightleft move to try to deke goalie Jonathan Quick and managed to knock in the puck off his left skate for the overtime winner in the opener.
“I said to myself, ‘OK, I’m done here,’” Guerin said, chuckling.
The 24-year-old Kaprizov is about to show his skills on a bigger stage when the Wild open the playoffs against Vegas, with Game 1 on Sunday. He finished the regular season with 27 goals, the eighth-most in the league. He led all NHL rookies with 51 points and in several other categories. Though he has competition from Stars’ Jason Robertson, Kaprizov has been the consensus Calder Trophy favorite since that auspicious debut against the Kings.
“We’ve definitely seen areas of improvement away from the puck, but his skill set, his awareness offensively, is as good as it gets,” coach Dean Evason said.
Kaprizov set numerous single-season Wild rookie records in just 55 games. His scoring pace for a normal 82-game schedule would have threatened the all-time franchise record, shared by Marian Gaborik (2007-08) and Eric Staal (2017-18) with 42 goals each, but these milestones aren’t exactly on his mind.
Asked on a recent video conference call about his preference of his two nicknames making the rounds — Kirill The Thrill or Dollar Bill Kirill, which teammates solidified with custom T-shirts — Kaprizov naturally demurred.
“I don’t like to give myself compliments. I don’t like to think of myself as an outlier,” Kaprizov said, through a translator.
Kaprizov has given the Wild their first player with true takeover-a-game potential since Gaborik’s departure 12 years ago. He’ll be a big help on their quest to win a playoff series for the first time since 2015.
“Every time he gets the puck, you can feel it in the arena,” center Joel Eriksson Ek said.
Hailing from a small village outside of the industrial city of Novokuznetsk, more than 2,000 miles from Moscow, Kaprizov didn’t expect to be drafted, finding out via text message as he readied for bed that night. He honored his commitment to the KHL but promised the Wild he’d come when he was finished, and Guerin made a trip to Russia a few months after getting the job in 2019 to further the relationship. He left with no doubt Kaprizov could handle the transition.
“He’s really sparked our team,” Guerin said. “He’s an electrifying player.”