32 Teams, 32 Players: Kirill Kaprizov

He has a chance to have the best season ever for a Minnesota Wild player.

Now that the 2024-25 NHL season has arrived we are going to highlight one player on each team that stands out for the season. What kind of player? Well, a player that could make a difference, be an X-factor, be on the verge of a breakout, or just simply be a player under the microscope and needing to have a big season.

Basically — which player do I think is the most fascinating on each team.

We are not going in any particularly order and continue today with Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild.

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The Minnesota Wild had to wait a few years waiting for Kirill Kaprizov to make the jump from the KHL to the NHL. After being selected in the fifth-round of the 2015 NHL Draft, he finally made his debut during the 2020-21 season, and he immediately proved to be worth the wait.

He not only stepped right into their lineup and made an immediate impact as their best offensive player, he did something that had never happened in the history of the Wild franchise — he made them fun to watch.

The Wild have had some really good teams throughout their existence. They have won a lot of games at times. But even in their best days they never played the most exciting brand of hockey, and rarely, if ever, had players that could bring you out of your seat.

Marian Gaborik was one of those players in the franchise’s early days, but even his absurd skills were somewhat limited by playing under Jacques Lemaire (though, Gaborik was still amazing).

But Kaprizov? He’s different. He’s an elite offensive player that has consistently been among the best in the NHL and is already the best offensive player the Wild have ever seen.

Of the five 40-goal seasons in franchise history, he has three of them.

He has the only two 90-point seasons and the only 100-point season.

Had he not missed some games over the past couple of years he would probably have another 100-point season and another 90-point season on that list.

Through the first 15 games of the 2024-25 season, Kaprizov is on a path for what could be his best season to date. He already has 28 points in 15 games, which is by far the best start of his career. Prior to this season he had 11, 13, 15, and 17 points through this same number of games. He is already obliterating those numbers and could be on his way to a truly special season for the Wild.

It’s important for a lot of reasons.

Let’s talk about it.