The Minnesota Wild opened the season with a win but started having problems in their lineup soon after. Injuries began to mount that affected their roster; their special teams struggled, and so did many of their players. The player on the top of this list is, of course, their superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who’s found some success but not what he or fans expected this far into the season.
Of course, he’s been known to be a slow starter according to his standards, and even this season, he has thought the same despite scoring a goal in the third game. He stated in numerous interviews over the first week or two that he’s a slow starter and that he could be scoring more. In the 11 games played so far this season, he has three goals and eight assists for 11 points. Most people would want to be a nearly point-per-game player, but he’s still unsatisfied.
He’s also struggled with several turnovers and appears absent in the game at times, making mistakes he shouldn’t be making. He’s gotten better as the season has progressed, but there might be a few reasons why he’s been struggling, and that’s what we’ll explore in this article.
Kaprizov Tries To Do Too Much
The main reason Kaprizov struggles is he puts too much pressure on his shoulders and tries to do too much. Yes, he’s the top point producer on the team and is getting paid the highest dollar amount of any Wild player in franchise history, but he is still just one player. He wants to score every night, and he appears to be quite hard on himself when he doesn’t.
Of course, it’d be great if he could score every night, but realistically, that won’t happen. However, scoring on a more consistent basis can, but not if he tries to overcomplicate things. He tries to do fancy plays that aren’t necessary and, in turn, loses the puck more often than he keeps it.
He needs to take a step back and return to the basics. The great Lou Nanne said it best on a radio show my dad told me about the other day: Kaprizov needs to play with the joy he used to. He’s taking himself too seriously, and it’s affecting his game. When you enjoy what you do, you do it better, and the same can be said for hockey players.
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If Kaprizov can simplify things and enjoy the game again, he’ll relax a little, and the goals will come. He is a professional and knows what he’s doing, but it’s okay to have some fun while playing, too; that’s why most of these players started playing in the first place.
Kaprizov Needs to be Selfish
What Kaprizov needs to do is shoot the puck more and pass less. Most teams encourage passing, but when it comes to the actual superstars, they know when to take the shot and when to pass. Kaprizov should be controlling the puck most of the time when he’s on the ice.
It’s abundantly clear when he’s on the power play he’s always looking for that perfect pass to set someone else up when they’re trying to get him the puck. Of course, it’s great when someone is open because the opposing team is covering Kaprizov, but they have to watch and utilize that when the time is right.
The one pass that bothers me is the pass right along the opposing blue line. They cut it too close many times, resulting in offsides and a faceoff, which is another area they’ve been struggling in, Kaprizov especially. He needs to carry the puck in and then try to set up his play or dump it instead of trying to make a pass that risks an offside or a turnover.
Kaprizov Will Find His Way
If Kaprizov has proven anything in the nearly four seasons he’s been with the Wild; he can overcome pretty much anything and still be successful. He missed almost a month of the season last year and still put up 75 points. Now, it was clear the time he was out affected him when he returned to the lineup, but he’d be superhuman if he didn’t have trouble.
He’s a hard worker who takes constructive criticism seriously and constantly works to improve his game. He will have down games, but they don’t last long as he eventually forces a goal or assist. So Wild fans, you can take a breath; Kaprizov will undoubtedly be successful as the season progresses; it may take some time.
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His new linemates, Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, seem to mesh well together, and it’ll be fun to see them continue to play as a trio. Hopefully, head coach Dean Evason keeps that line together for a while longer to see how much scoring success they can have. Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello have also fit in on their respective new lines, so everything seems to be working out, but of course, time will tell.
Kaprizov’s Season
As long as Kaprizov can stay healthy, he’ll start to put up more and more points. He should easily crack 100 once again, but it’ll be fun to see how far past that number he can get. Hopefully, he can get some stress out of his game and remember it’s supposed to be fun. Once he stops trying to do too much, he can play his best game and score more points.
