The home stretch of the 2022-2023 season was quite arduous for Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild, who remained unsatisfied. The Russian will work hard this year.
On March 8, the 26-year-old forward suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out of the game for a month. The momentum was no longer there for Kaprizov and his team was eliminated in six games by the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs.
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The team’s attack leader, who scored 40 goals in the regular season, was happy with a goal against the Texas representatives. With this failure in mind, Kaprizov is more motivated than ever.
“I stay calm, but extremely motivated, hungry. “I feel the fire in me,” he told NHL.com on Wednesday. Every year you learn from your mistakes. You take those disappointments and learn from them. You’re trying to get better. »
Kaprizov’s second season in the National Hockey League (NHL) was quite difficult to replicate. The left winger set franchise records with 47 goals, 61 assists and 108 points. Before his injury, he was still going strong with 75 points in 67 games.
Complete player
The Wild didn’t make any major changes to their roster this summer. Kaprizov will once again be supported by his good friend Mats Zuccarello, and Ryan Hartman will complete their trio in training.
“It will be difficult for him to do better,” he said of his illustrious teammate. He plays a really complete game. He is not a classic goalscorer who is lazy and waits for a pass. He fights and insists on the forecheck, he hits and he hits back at the guys. It’s difficult to separate yourself from the puck. »
“He plays right. We are all frustrated [de la fin de saison] “Especially when you see a guy like him doing everything,” added Hartman, whose offensive production dropped from 65 to 37 points in the 2022-23 season.
For the main player, the first priority will be to get the season off to a good start. Kaprizov doesn’t want to think about individual statistics either.
“I don’t like putting expectations on myself. “I will show up and do my best and I expect the same from the team,” he assured. The goal, of course, is to make the playoffs and do well. We will focus on that. »