The Minnesota Wild have announced that star forward Kirill Kaprizov will miss for three to four weeks with a lower-body injury.
In Wednesday night's win over the Winnipeg Jets, Kaprizov left the game after taking an awkward hit from Logan Stanley. Kaprizov received a pass in the offensive zone, and he immediately folded up underneath the 6-foot-7 Stanley.
Kaprizov was in noticeable pain as he left the ice and did not return to the game.
The loss of Kaprizov will be a massive blow to the Wild with just 17 games remaining in the regular season. Minnesota was already struggling to score, and Kaprizov has been the team's only source of consistent offense all season.
Minnesota ranks 25th in the NHL with 179 goals, and Kaprizov has 39 of those to go along with 35 assists. The Wild did acquire some depth scoring ahead of the trade deadline in the form of Gustav Nyquist, Marcus Johansson, and Oskar Sundqvist, but it will be nearly impossible to replace Kaprizov's dynamic playmaking ability.
Based on the Wild's timeline, the earliest Kaprizov could return would be for the team's Apr. 1 road game against the Vegas Golden Knights. If he is out for the full four weeks, Kaprizov would be back in time for Minnesota's home game against the St. Louis Blues on Apr. 8.
In the meantime, it might be a struggle for the Wild to maintain their second-place spot in the Central Division with the Colorado Avalanche right behind them.
