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The superstar winger is up to 52 points (12 on the power play), 128 shots on net and a plus-19 rating over 37 appearances. Even with the lengthy absence, it's possible Kaprizov could push for a 100-point campaign if he returns to the level he played at early in 2024-25.

Kaprizov to record 2+ points (+143): Kaprizov returned on Jan. 23 after missing a month and has had two games to shake the rust off. Now the Minnesota Wild head to Chicago for a visit with the Blackhawks, whose defensive stats are an eyesore:

Despite Thursday’s tough outcome, Wild players were thrilled to have their captain and star forward back in the lineup.

Kaprizov registered an assist and three shots on goal in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Flames. This was Kaprizov's second game back after missing 12 contests due to a lower-body injury. He's taken a little time to get back up to speed,

The Wild's Kirill Kaprizov is expected to play Thursday after a longer-than-expected break for injury. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

And the clearest signal that Kaprizov and Spurgeon would be back is that the Wild reassigned defenseman David Jiricek two hours after practice. If you did the salary cap math, it really was the only option to get below the cap ceiling once Kaprizov is activated from LTIR.

The move was necessary to make the call-ups needed to have a full roster. It's retroactive, so Kaprizov can return whenever he's ready.

The Minnesota Wild placed their top-scoring contributor on LTIR on Friday in Kirill Kaprizov because of an aggravated lower-body injury. Minnesota has been one of the NHL's biggest surprises in 2024-24, sitting in second place of the Central Division with 58 points.

While Kaprizov could be back this week, Wild coach John Hynes did not "want to put a timeline" on his potential return, according to Smith, but added the fact Kaprizov is skating every day and continuing to do more and more each day is "a good sign." There are signs Minnesota could be gearing up to have some players return soon.

The Minnesota Wild placed Kirill Kaprizov on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on Thursday, retroactive to Dec. 23 when he suffered his injury. The move, while removing the Russian forward from the Wild lineup, will also help the team navigate a cap crunch and address its injury-plagued lineup thanks to the cap relief LTIR provides.

Their lineup got a big boost Thursday when star Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon were activated from injured reserve. The two were in the lineup for the Wild's 4-0 loss to Utah.