Kirill Kaprizov to have surgery on lower body injury, out at least 4 weeks
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Wild heads to Toronto Wednesday night for the second game of a five-game road trip, and they’ll be without their best player for at least a month.
Kirill Kaprizov was not on the ice for practice Tuesday. General Manager Bill Guerin told reporters he will have to have surgery on a lower body injury and will be out a minimum of four weeks. Kaprizov missed 12 games with a lower body injury before returning last Thursday against Utah. He had an assist against Calgary, and one assist against Chicago.
It’s a big blow for the Wild, which is fifth in the Western Conference at 62 points. But they’re 4-6 in their last 10 games, and just 11-12-1 at home this season.
"It will put him on the shelf for the next little while. We’ve been down this road before. It’s unfortunate, Kirill was having a Hart Trophy type season," Guerin said. "It’s disappointing, but we’ve put ourselves in a good position in the standings. We just need to deal with the situation, it’s not the end of the world."
Kaprizov’s injury not considered season-ending
Why it matters:
Guerin said Kaprizov will not be placed on long-term injured reserve. He’s considered week-to-week. He’ll likely miss at least the next 10 games, and probably more. It means he would miss the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off, which is scheduled for Feb. 12-20.
Kaprizov has played in 37 of a possible 50 games and leads the Wild in scoring at 502 points, and 35 goals. It’s one more injury to team that’s been riddled with them since the start of the season.
"Kirill is very upset. Kirill is such a team-focused guy, he could probably get by in games and try to help the team. Him at 60% is better than most players in the league, but he wants to be 100 percent and help us play as long as we can this year," Guerin said. "I agree with him."
Guerin said Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson also will not be on the road trip.
What’s next?
The schedule: The Wild is at Toronto Wednesday and Montreal Thursday. They finish a three-game Canada swing at Ottawa on Saturday.