Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov expected to return Thursday versus Utah
As per Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild are set to activate Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon from the injured reserve and long-term injured reserve. Both players are expected to make a return to the lineup on Thursday versus the Utah Hockey Club.
Kaprizov has been out since Dec. 23 due to a lower-body injury, and had been placed on long-term injured reserve, retroactive to then.
Obviously all signs today were that Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon were returning tomorrow. But to leave no doubt, I am told by sources they will in fact return tomorrow at home vs. Utah and soon be activated off LTIR/IR, respectively.
So Kaprizov/Spurgeon back for #mnwild.
Kaprizov has been among the most productive players in the NHL through the first three months of the year. Through 34 games, he has scored 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points.
Injuries aren’t anything new to Kaprizov. In his five years in the NHL, he has never played a full season. He came close in 2021-22, appearing in 81 contests in which he scored a career-high 108 points.
Meanwhile, Spurgeon has been out of the lineup since New Year’s Eve game against the Nashville Predators when Spurgeon was taken out by Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux, who slew-footed the veteran.
L’Heureux was later suspended for three games by the NHL Department of Player Safety, the first suspension of his NHL career, but not of his entire hockey career.
In 32 games so far this year, the Edmonton native has scored four goals and nine assists for 13 points, registering a plus/minus of +3 while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time.
Minnesota currently sits second in the Central Division with a 28-15-4 record through 47 games, trailing just five points back of the Winnipeg Jets. The Wild are slated to face Utah on Thursday, the Calgary Flames on Saturday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.