Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov is on early track to be NHL’s MVP

SALT LAKE CITY – Pierre-Marc Bouchard was in Kirill Kaprizov’s rearview mirror after just nine games.

Next up was Ryan Suter, whom Kaprizov passed last weekend.

Now, the All-Star winger is closing in on Jared Spurgeon; the Wild captain’s 22-point lead is probably holding up until the beginning of January.

“Surprised it hasn’t happened already,” Spurgeon joked.

If Kaprizov jockeying for the NHL scoring title wasn’t impressive enough, that he’s simultaneously rewriting the Wild record book certainly captures the uniqueness of his season.

Kaprizov is passing the figureheads of past Wild eras in career points, trumping tenures in a fraction of the time as his own legacy is still in its infancy. He’s climbed to fifth in points, and Spurgeon isn’t the only Wild player he’s almost caught. Zach Parise is a mere 27 points ahead and Marian Gaborik 64.

Should Kaprizov maintain his current scoring pace, which has him finishing with 129 points this season, he’ll trail just Mikko Koivu’s 709. Kaprizov averages 1.22 points per game in his career, making Gaborik’s 0.87 a distant second.

In a historical context, this surge is mind-boggling: The Wild have never had a player like Kaprizov until Kaprizov.

But at present, his performance shows why Kaprizov is an early favorite to be the NHL’s next MVP.

“He’s such a special player,” Spurgeon said. “He does everything for us. The skill you see, but just the work ethic he has, too, just going into battles, and he can play physical when he wants to, as well. He’s such a strong body.

“But there’s not many people like him that can see the game he does.”

After scoring his team-leading 18th goal in the Wild’s 5-4 shootout rally over Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday, Kaprizov is tied for second in the NHL with 43 points.

His 1.59 points per game is tops, as is his even-strength production (33), and he’s second in multipoint games with 14 while averaging the third-most ice time (22 minutes, 30 seconds) among forwards.

That output, combined with the effect he’s had on the Wild, who are atop the NHL at 19-5-4, is why Kaprizov is the front-runner for the Hart Trophy, which recognizes the league’s most valuable player.

“A lot of them have a special gift, but it’s the way they take that gift and work on it,” said Wild forward Devin Shore. “They are the guys spending the most time on their craft.”

Shore was with Edmonton in 2021-2023 when Connor McDavid won the Hart Trophy twice, after teammate Leon Draisaitl claimed it in 2020, and that duo’s pedigree always makes an Oilers vs. Wild matchup like Thursday’s at Xcel Energy Center an intriguing showdown when those two and Kaprizov are in the same game.

From his work ethic to his desire to win, Kaprizov has MVP qualities, Shore said, and playing alongside someone like that can galvanize the entire team.

“It brings everybody up a level because if you don’t, you’re going to look out of place,” said Shore, a veteran of 450-plus NHL games who’s been a mainstay with the Wild since getting called up from the minors to fill in amid injuries up front. “It makes everyone better because if you’re able to push yourself and get better because of the standard other guys are setting, everyone comes out a winner because we’re all just trying to get better.”

How Kaprizov, 27, has sparked the Wild might be the best argument for his MVP candidacy.

The Wild have made the most improvement in the NHL, going from a putrid start, subsequent coaching change and missing the playoffs to winning a league-high 75% of their games with the top road record (12-2-3), and Kaprizov’s impact on their turnaround is undeniable.

Only five times has he not registered a point and just once in back-to-back games. The 10 game-winners he’s factored in lead the NHL, and no one has more points away from home than he does with 29; Kaprizov’s 11-game point streak on the road earlier this season is a franchise record.

Coach John Hynes has been part of a transformation like this before: During 2017-18 when he was behind the New Jersey bench, the Devils went from “semi-rebuilding” to making the playoffs on the strength of their goaltending and that season’s MVP, Taylor Hall.

“To get to that level, to be the MVP, it’s the consistency of your play at a high, high level, and that year he was like that,” Hynes said of Hall, who’s now with Chicago. “At times he was like unstoppable. He just found different ways every night. It would be off the rush. It would be net-front goals, power-play goals, similar to what’s going on [with Kaprizov].”

This versatility has become Kaprizov’s calling card.

He’s scoring more goals at even strength and fewer on the power play and has capitalized almost as many times into empty nets (a league-high five) as he did through his first four seasons (seven) — an uptick indicative of him being utilized in late-game situations to protect Wild leads.

“You think Kirill’s just an offensive guy, but he’s a responsible player,” Hynes said. “He cares about defending. He shows five-on-five that he’s committed in those areas, and then he’s done a really good job.”

(There was even talk of recruiting Kaprizov to the penalty kill, but that was “in one ear and out the other on that one,” Hynes said. “For now.”)

What else has changed for Kaprizov?

Scrutinized for his starts, he was off the charts out of the gates, racking up more points (21) than in any of his previous first 10 games.

“It’s not like he’s playing any different,” Spurgeon said, “but maybe just a little confidence right off the start when it works right away.”

Kaprizov’s also thrived on various lines.

His chemistry with longtime linemate Mats Zuccarello has been an important catalyst over the years, and they were clicking early. But Kaprizov has remained a force since Zuccarello was injured: Since Zuccarello left the Nov. 14 game hurt, Kaprizov has doubled his goal total.

A fifth-round draft pick out of Russia in 2015, Kaprizov will no doubt merit a lucrative raise when his five-year, $45 million contract expires after next season, and he’s eligible to sign an extension with the Wild as soon as the summer.

“He plays all aspects of the game,” Hynes said. “He can forecheck. He can play in the O-zone. He can attack off the rush. He can score at the net-front. So, it’s not like he needs a particular style of player to play with.

“Whatever the game is, he can play it, and that’s I think another component of being able to be that consistent.”

To Kaprizov, success and joy go hand in hand: Hockey isn’t hard when he’s happy.

But he isn’t satisfied if he does well and the team struggles.

Fortunately for him, that hasn’t been the case this season.

“It’s just team, you know?” he said. “Team keep winning, and it’s easy to play myself, and it’s easy to play for the whole team and just love to come to the rink. Everybody’s smiling, joking around and have some fun, and same you go in the game: You jump on the ice, and you just try to show your best. That’s it.”

Mikko Koivu, C: 1028 games, 709 points, 0.69 points per game

Marian Gaborik, W: 502 games, 437 points, 0.87 ppg

Zach Parise, W: 558 games, 400 points, 0.72 ppg

Jared Spurgeon, D: 889 games, 395 points, 0.44 ppg

Kirill Kaprizov, W: 305 games, 373 points, 1.22 ppg

Ryan Suter, D: 656 games, 369 points, 0.56 ppg

Pierre-Marc Bouchard, C: 565 games, 347 points 0.61 ppg

Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Xcel Energy Center

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Oilers update: The Oilers have recalibrated after a slow start to the season. They’ve won three in a row and seven of their last 10 games. C Leon Draisaitl became the first in the NHL to reach 20 goals when he scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Draisaitl and C Connor McDavid are tied for the team lead in scoring with 38 points. The two combined for only a goal (Draisaitl) and assist (McDavid) in Edmonton’s 5-3 loss to the Wild on Nov. 21.

Injuries: Wild D Jonas Brodin (upper body), C Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) and RW Mats Zuccarello (lower body) are out. Oilers LW Viktor Arvidsson (undisclosed) and LW Evander Kane (hip) are out.