Wild star Kirill Kaprizov is back in action.
After missing the past 12 games with a lower-body injury that popped up after the holiday break, Kaprizov was set to make his highly anticipated return on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center.
Asked about missing the past month, Kaprizov emphasized how happy he is to be back with his teammates, saying, “It’s a nice feeling.”
Notably, Kaprizov wouldn’t go into detail about what caused him to miss an extended period of time. He admitted that he missed more than time than he originally expected, adding that he’s hopeful this wo’t affect him moving forward.
“Just something happened,” Kaprizov said. “Just don’t want to talk about it.”
Whatever he’s been dealing with over the past month, the Wild are certainly happy to have him back. As admirably as they performed in his absence, going 7-5-0 without him, they have clearly missed his presence in the lineup.
It wasn’t too long ago that Kaprizov was viewed by many as the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy. The pace he was on is best illustrated by the fact the he still leads the Wild with 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists) despite missing so much time.
Asked if he thinks he can to that level, Kaprizov cracked a smile before saying, “I hope so.”
Though it’s going to be nearly impossible for Kaprizov to get back in that conversation for the Hart Trophy, he made it clear that he isn’t worried about his individual numbers.
“I don’t think about points,” Kaprizov said. “I just want to feel good in the game.”
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