Minnesota Wild Need to Find Someone For Kaprizov

Kirill Kaprizov has had great linemates, but not someone that can help him raise his game

The Minnesota Wild missed out on the NHL postseason for the second time in the past six seasons. Partially due to injuries and partially due to not playing well enough, the Wild are left watching instead of playing. They will need to make some changes before next season if they want to be successful, and one of those is finding someone for Kirill Kaprizov. 

Many may say they already have that in Mats Zuccarello, but their magic is starting to wane. They have something going with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, but they need someone with a spark like he has. Boldy and Eriksson Ek work together well, and although Kaprizov fits, he has much-untapped potential. 

Seeing Kaprizov, Liam Öhgren, and Marat Khusnutdinov combined was interesting. However, the time frame was so short that it wasn't long enough to assess accurately whether they worked well together. Everyone, including myself, was excited about this opportunity, but one or two games is not enough.

It will be a lot to ask with the Wild still in cap restraints for one more season, but they need to figure out who to pair with Kaprizov. He's getting production, and after he bounced back fully from his injury, he was doing great, but he could be doing more. If he had someone of similar caliber on his line, his production could be even greater; look at the combination of Auston Matthews, Max Domi, and Tyler Bertuzzi. Obviously, Matthews is a scoring powerhouse, but he’s made others on his line better, and they, in turn, have helped him.