Kirill Kaprizov injury update: Wild handed fresh blow as GM Bill Guerin confirms Hart Trophy contender set to undergo surgery

Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov missed 12 consecutive games with a lower-body injury from the end of December through the majority of January. He returned on January 23 and played the next three games, producing two points (zero goals, two assists) in that span.

Unfortunately, that return was short-lived. The 27-year-old is back on the shelf as it's now been revealed that he needs surgery to repair the same injury that's been nagging him since December.

Minnesota Wild reporter Jessi Pierce shared general manager Bill Guerin's injury update on Kirill Kaprizov during his media availability this morning on X (formerly Twitter).

"Bill Guerin said Kaprizov’s injury — the same that kept him out of the lineup earlier — will require surgery but is not season ending. It is week to week with what Guerin says will be a “minimum four weeks," Pierce wrote on X.

It's terrible news for the Minnesota Wild who are a much different team without their dynamic left winger. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman later reported that Guerin had laid out a return time of four weeks.

Kaprizov is in the fourth season of a five-year, $45,000,000 contract signed with the Wild back in 2021. He'll undoubtedly be in for a massive increase in average annual value on his next contract in the prime of his career. He currently headlines the 2026 UFA class should he make it to free agency.

Kirill Kaprizov was a frontrunner for the Hart Trophy prior to his injury

Kirill Kaprizov was playing phenomenal hockey to begin the 2024-25 season. The Russian superstar was tied for fourth in league scoring with 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists) in 34 games at the time of his injury. Only Nathan MacKinnon (57 points), Leon Draisaitl (52 points), and Mikko Rantanen (52 points) were more productive than Kaprizov.

His season total of 52 points (23 goals, 29 assists) in 37 games had him on a full-season pace for 115 points, which would blow by his career-best of 108 during the 2021-22 campaign.

The Wild were the number two seed in the Central Division and fourth in the entire NHL at 21-10-4 (46 points) before his absence. They've since fallen to third in the division (62 points), just two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche (60 points). Kirill Kaprizov is irreplaceable in the Minnesota Wild lineup.

The Wild will be without Kaprizov when they return to action on Wednesday night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Scotiabank Arena.