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Kirill Kaprizov, the early favorite for the Hart Trophy, also rooted for the Wild

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
Kirill Kaprizov, the early favorite for the Hart Trophy, also rooted for the Wild

SALT LAKE CITY – As if Kirill Kaprizov hadn’t done enough to take the NHL scoring lead again in his seventh league three-point game Friday night in Anaheim, the Wild superstar and early favorite to win the Hart Trophy then pointed: in Yakov Trenin’s words: his heart five minutes after helping the Wild become the first team to score 40 points this season.

After first acknowledging Reese Johnson’s Wild debut in his postgame speech, Kaprizov passed the HARD “Hero of the Game” chain to Trenin – “the Russian Machine” – who scored his first goal in 26 of 110 minutes Playing with the Wild into the empty goal shot meters away.

It was also Trenin’s first point in 21 games.

When scoring points is so easy for a player like Kaprizov, it would be easy to take for granted the strain that a long losing streak could place on a teammate. But Kaprizov knew how much it was weighing on his compatriot, which is why he fidgeted excitedly on the bench after Trenin’s goal.

“It’s his first goal for him. It’s always exciting,” Kaprizov said. “It’s nice that it’s happening. It’s hard when you don’t score in how many games, 25, and then you score – that should be a big deal.”

Trenin, who then recorded his first goal streak with the Wild the next night in LA, was touched by how happy all of his teammates were for him. There was a jubilant atmosphere on the bench, the players hugged each other, clenched their fists and Marco Rossi showered Trenin with a water bottle during his celebratory flyby.

“Everyone was so happy to give me their knuckles,” Trenin said. “It’s so special.”

When your best player shows that much awareness, coach John Hynes says volumes about Kaprizov’s character.

“He’s really down to earth,” Hynes said. “He’s a great player, a competitor, but he’s a team player. He is committed to the entire team. You can tell his teammates love him because he treats everyone the right way.

“You go on a trip and the boys go out to dinner or the boys go out on their night off. He fits in with everyone else. That’s what brings a team together when you have a star player like that who is just one of many. Off the ice he’s one of the guys.”

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On a team that doesn’t generate many chances (the Wild are 25th in expected five-on-five goals, according to MoneyPuck) but still ranks 13th in goals per game (3.19), Kaprizov scored or assisted on 42 of the Wild’s 86 goals.

The 27-year-old Kaprizov, who rewrote the Wild record book in his five seasons, has 372 points in 304 games. That’s fifth all-time in the Wild. If he keeps up his current pace, he could actually surpass Marian Gaborik’s 437 points (502 games) this season and move into second place.

Kaprizov is currently tied for first in the league standings with 42 points and ranks first in points per game (1.62), even-strength points (32) and away points (10-18-28). He ranks first with 14 multi-point games, fourth with 17 goals and seventh with 25 assists. He ranks fourth among NHL forwards in average ice time per game (22:22). He scored ten game-winning goals (four goals, six assists), the most in the NHL.

The definition of the Hart Trophy is “most valuable to his team.” Considering how many hockey writers have predicted that the Wild won’t make the playoffs, if they do and he keeps up this pace of 54 goals and 132 points, Kaprizov will be right in line for the Hart Trophy vote in April be.

“Guys like (Kaprizov) have the it factor,” defenseman Zach Bogosian said. “I think what makes Kirill so impressive is how hard he competes with the pucks. He wins a lot of batting battles, and you also have to keep in mind that every night he’s playing against the other team’s top pair trying to shut him down, and generally more defensive forwards trying to shut him down and shutting that line down .

“And to see how he can create offense against defensive-minded players is impressive.”

Hynes has experienced Hart Trophy seasons firsthand. He was in New Jersey when the Devils traded Adam Larsson to the Oilers for Taylor Hall. During his second season in Newark, Hall scored 39 goals and 93 points and led the Devils to the playoffs, narrowly edging out Nathan MacKinnon for the Hart.

“When Taylor won this year, it was very similar to Kirill in terms of the way they train. There’s a mission in training and the way they come into every game, just the level of competition, the drive they play with and the consistency level,” Hynes said. “To reach this level and win MVP requires the consistency of playing at a high, high level, and this year he was like that.

“We were a semi-rebuilt team and no one picked us for the playoffs. …But he was almost…sometimes he was unstoppable. He just found different ways every night. It would be away from the hustle and bustle. It would be net front goals, power play goals, similar to what’s happening right now (with Kaprizov). But what stands out for me is the consistency with which he was able to play.”

Even though his friend Mats Zuccarello is injured, Kaprizov shows that he doesn’t just depend on Zuccarello. He is produced with Marco Rossi or Joel Eriksson Ek in the middle or Matt Boldy on his wing.

“It’s so much fun,” Rossi, who has nine goals and 23 points in 27 games, said of playing with Kaprizov. “(Boldy and I) know he’s on the heater right now, so we’re just trying to support him.”

He was also often deployed on the third and fourth lines in games depending on the circumstances and situations.

In the last 10 games without Zuccarello, Kaprizov scored seven goals and 12 points.

“He can drive the line no matter what line he’s on,” Hynes said. “With Taylor this year and then looking at Kirill, they can play on any line. It’s not just that he needs someone to bring him the puck. He can play with Zuccy and the chemistry between them is right. He can play with Ekky and Bolds and the chemistry between them is right. Then I can throw him out with Marco and Bolds, or you can throw him out with (Marat Khusnutdinov and Devin) Shore because he plays the game – he plays all aspects of the game.

“He can predict. He can play in the O-zone. He can attack from the rush. He can score at the net front. So it’s not like he needs a specific style of player to play with. Whatever the game is, he can play it, and I think that’s another factor in why he can be so consistent.”

Like his accomplice Zuccarello, Kaprizov is often self-deprecating in his self-assessments. In Anaheim, the Kaprizov-Rossi-Boldy line combined for four goals and nine points.

As Trenin hilariously said, “It was too fast for my brain. Probably the same for Anaheim too. Boom, boom, back door, back door.”

But Kaprizov said: “With Zuccy and Ekky out now, we’re just trying to pull ourselves together. We sometimes play in different games a few shifts ago, but today we play the whole game together. I feel quick like Marco, quick like Bolds. I’m a little bit quick and I just feel a little bit, just try to create attacks and enjoy playing together.”

And honestly, that’s the key to Kaprizov right now.

Hart Trophy level or not, the Wild routinely win. In fact, on Tuesday night, in their first-ever trip to Utah, they’ll try to avoid losing consecutive regular-season games for the first time this season.

But the mood in the Wild room is great at the moment. As Bogosian said, “Winning does that for teams and cultures,” and you can see the joy on Kaprizov’s face every time he enters the rink, and certainly when he walks out after another productive night.

“It’s just teamwork, you know?” Kaprizov said when asked how he maintains the level he’s playing at. “The team keeps winning and it’s easy to play for myself and it’s easy to play for the whole team and I love coming to the rink. Everyone is smiling, joking and having fun, and even in the game you jump on the ice and just try to do your best. This is it.”

(Photo of Yakov Trenin celebrating his goal: Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)

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