With the NHL All-Star Game just under a month away on Saturday, Feb. 3 in Toronto, the announcements were made for each team selection on Thursday evening, Jan. 4. With the Minnesota Wild having so many injuries to their top players, the decision couldn’t have been easy, especially choosing a currently injured player.
Understandably, they wouldn’t take a chance on goaltender Filip Gustavsson with his recent injury and not being ready to go in time. Kirill Kaprizov was always the likely choice, but he too is one of seven Wild players injured, so it’s a little surprising that he made it in terms of recovery time and being ready.
Wild’s Kaprizov Deserving of the Honor
If Kaprizov was healthy, there’s no way he’d not be picked for the Wild’s single All-Star selection. He remains their best player even with the rough season he’s had so far. He’s played in 34 games this season and has 13 goals plus 21 assists for 34 points. When most thought he started the season rough because he wasn’t scoring goals in every game he played, he was still recording points.
Before his injury, he worked hard to turn his game around from constantly turning the puck over to being more responsible with the puck. As far as being an All-Star, he is exactly that; he’s the first “star” caliber player the Wild have ever had outside of Marc-André Fleury and Marián Gáborík.
He sees the ice differently than everyone else, he’s a workhorse, and despite making mistakes as every player does, he stands out above everyone else. He’s been in the top five in the NHL for scoring in the past, has scored over 100 points in a season, and is a Calder Trophy winner. Out of everyone on the Wild, he’s the top name you think of when it comes to the All-Star Game.
Wild’s All-Star Weekend
It’s still possible for another Wild member to join Kaprizov as fans can vote for the final 12 roster spots. Again, the NHL is looking to encourage fans to watch the weekend event as they’ve made more changes such as “NHL All-Star Thursday.” According to NHL.com, the usual player draft will be back but the captains of each team will be placed with celebrities to choose their team members.
The newly formed PWHL will have the spotlight with a 3-on-3 game as well as other exciting things. With all the changes, the Skills Competition will also have some new items, and instead of players just showing off their skills for who’s the best at each event, there will be points to earn in the eight events.
To break it down further, players will show their skills in four of the first six events and the best of those will move on to the seventh event. The best of that event will then move on to the final to compete for the $1 million prize for the player with the most points, which hasn’t been done before. Hopefully, Kaprizov will be able to show his stuff and make Minnesota proud. Regardless, he’ll be able to show his worth during the game and hopefully help his respective team win.
