Kaprizov ‘going to be out longer than we originally expected’ for Wild, GM says

Kirill Kaprizov will be out longer than anticipated for the Minnesota Wild because of a lower-body injury, general manager Bill Guerin said Friday.

The forward had surgery in late January because of a lower-body injury and was expected to be out a minimum of four weeks.

“I think he’s going to be out longer than we originally expected. How much, I cannot answer,” Guerin told KFAN radio in Minneapolis. “I just don’t know, we’ll see how he progresses. That’s really where we’re at.

“He’s just recovering right now, and we’ll see how it turns out, but he’s going to be a little longer than we expected. And what that does with our (salary) cap situation? I don’t know because when he’s healthy, we’ll put him back in. If he’s not, then we won’t.”

Kaprizov is in the fourth of a five-year, $45 million contract ($9 million average annual value) he signed with the Wild on Sept. 21, 2021. He missed 12 games from Dec. 27 to Jan. 20 and returned to play three games before he was forced to sit out again. The 27-year-old has not played since a 4-2 win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 26.

He still leads Minnesota with 52 points (23 goals, 29 assists) in 37 games this season. The Wild (34-19-4) won 4-3 at the Detroit Red Wings in overtime on Saturday.

Guerin said on Jan. 28 that Kaprizov would undergo surgery to deal with the injury and was hoping he would return before the end of the regular season.

“He’s frustrated, and I don’t blame him either,” Guerin said. “The start he had, he was taking the League by storm and then you get this injury that sets you back and takes you out. He was having a Hart Trophy-type season and I’d be frustrated too. But we’re just trying to keep him busy and helping him out as much as we can, but he’s frustrated.”

Selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (No. 135) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Kaprizov has 382 points (183 goals, 199 assists) in 315 regular-season games and 12 points (10 goals, two assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games.