ST. PAUL, Minn. — After watching part of Tuesday’s Minnesota Wild practice at TRIA Rink and catching up with former teammates, Marian Gaborik headed downstairs to the locker room.
There was one particular person he was looking for.
Gaborik, 43, took a seat in a stall next to Kirill Kaprizov’s and started a conversation.
There they were, the two best players in franchise history, talking shop and posing for photos.
Gaborik, who’s in town as part of the team’s 25th-anniversary season celebration, still holds the team records for goals and game-winning goals, but he knows that’s probably temporary with the Russian winger still in his prime.
“He’s going to break all the records,” Gaborik said. “He’s becoming a true superstar. He already is, pretty much, and obviously signing a big deal — that’s what Wild fans needed, to have a guy like this. And hopefully, it’s going to work out for both sides.”
President of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin agrees. He’s called Kaprizov’s record-breaking deal — eight years at $17 million annually — the most important contract in team history. It’s not just the fact that the team will keep Kaprizov for the next nine years. It’s what it means that he decided to stay: his belief in the Wild’s ability to be a contender.
Well, right now, the Wild really need their superstar to put on his cape.
Frankly, they could use him just looking more like himself.
It’s been a forgettable and frustrating start for the Wild, who have lost seven of their past eight after Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets. That’s a 3-5-3 record for those scoring at home — nine points in their first 11 games, putting them about as close to the Western Conference basement as a playoff spot.
The season isn’t over. Far from it. But the Wild are digging themselves a hole and can’t afford to fall deeper.
And, stunningly enough, Kaprizov has been part of the problem.
On the surface, the stats look good: six goals and 15 points in 11 games. That’s a pretty strong pace, putting Kaprizov 11th in the league through Tuesday. But Tuesday marked Kaprizov’s first goal at five-on-five — and, more importantly, with the game on the line, a Kaprizov turnover led to the Jets taking control of possession in overtime and then winning it on Kyle Connor’s wrist shot a few seconds later.
It was the 15th even-strength goal against which Kaprizov has been on the ice, tied with captain Jared Spurgeon for most on the team.
KYLE CONNOR ENDS IT! 🙌
Connor’s fifth of the season wins it for the @NHLJets in @Energizer overtime! pic.twitter.com/m02j8DJY3N
— NHL (@NHL) October 29, 2025
How many times has Kaprizov instead been the hero in that situation? He has a franchise-record nine OT winners.
But in a game the Wild had to have — and on a night when they delivered one of their most complete performances — losing was a major gut punch. All they needed was one more play from Kaprizov or one more save from Filip Gustavsson. The Wild locked up both long term before the season and can go as far as they help take them.
Kaprizov’s turnovers have been a recurring theme as of late, including gift-wrapping two goals in Sunday’s overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. You can understand why Kaprizov would be pressing, considering the Wild’s struggles, especially early on with their issues five-on-five. Nobody is questioning his desire to win or how much he cares. But he has to play more winning hockey. Play more direct.
Kaprizov signed the richest contract in NHL history. Fair or not, an even higher standard comes with that.
Coach John Hynes said Tuesday he plans to meet with Kaprizov to go over his decision-making.
“I see a guy that’s highly competitive, that wants to win, that wants to be a difference-maker,” Hynes said. “I think there’s certain aspects of his game that I need to talk with him about. It’s not for a lack of effort or lack of care. I just think there’s times where you have to have some better decisions. But other than that, mostly with the team, it’s sometimes doing the wrong things for the right reasons.
“You want to make a difference. You want to make a play, but sometimes they’re not there. I think that’s a big part of it.”
Even when Kaprizov got off to a hot start, sparked by his four power-play goals, he wasn’t happy with his game. He knew he could do more. So giving away the puck twice in the defensive zone leading to goals on Sunday didn’t sit well.
“It’s hard,” Kaprizov said after Sunday’s loss. “It sometimes happens. We know, everyone, we should play better, and it starts from us — from me especially, and from other guys, too, from (the) whole team. We need to play better. Sometimes (it) happens. We need to be more focused, play more … (the) right way and enjoy the hockey. Now sometimes simple but big mistakes, and we need to be better.”
The points are one thing, but the under-the-hood numbers show another. Kaprizov’s five-on-five expected-goals rate is 45.09 percent, the lowest of his career, per Evolving-Hockey. The Wild still have a 51.66 percent scoring rate in those minutes, but that’s lower than years past.
2020-21
51.03
59.44
2021-22
53.85
58.89
2022-23
54.23
54.05
2023-24
56.04
55.40
2024-25
55.55
59.37
2025-26
45.09
51.66
The Wild are also shooting and scoring less and allowing more in Kaprizov’s five-on-five minutes, compared to last season.
2020-21
2.96
2.02
27.75
28.57
2021-22
3.84
2.68
32.71
29.56
2022-23
2.53
2.15
31.16
27.01
2023-24
3.51
2.82
30.43
28.67
2024-25
3.18
2.18
29.53
26.47
2025-26
3.02
2.83
23.85
29.00
Guerin doesn’t necessarily see a struggling star, though. He sees a leader sometimes trying to do too much — pressing to help the team. Guerin said the Wild want Kaprizov to continue to be “creative” and play the game that made him a franchise player. They just want smarter decisions in certain moments. Of course, all of this seems simple when you’re watching it from up top or on TV.
“When you’re in the fire, when you’re on the ice, things are happening, you’re not always thinking, ‘Less is more,’” Guerin said. “You’re thinking, ‘Help the team.’ So easier said than done. Easier said on the second day. But in certain areas, he could be a little better. But, hey, look, he still had (a goal on Tuesday). And it was a big one. That’s what he does.”
Guerin met with the captains over the weekend, including Kaprizov, saying “we’re all in this together.” He believes they need to stick with it, that they’re on the “cusp,” but he acknowledges it could go the other way if they don’t approach it right. So this is a tipping point.
And the Wild’s rough start shouldn’t be pinned all on No. 97, of course. Everyone has had a hand in this. Brock Faber was struggling before looking much better in recent games. Marcus Foligno still has no points in 10 games. Joel Eriksson Ek isn’t his productive self. And the last line of defense, Gustavsson, hasn’t been able to save them.
Gustavsson has been the only bright spot in a few losses, particularly in the Washington Capitals and Utah Mammoth games. He’s kept them in several games. But on a night like Tuesday, they needed timely saves in the third when they took the lead, and on Connor’s OT winner. Gustavsson’s stat line — 3.42 goals-against average and .890 save percentage — is uncharacteristic. He ranks 53rd in the NHL with 1.3 goals allowed above expectation, according to MoneyPuck. Jesper Wallstedt is 51st. Their combined .883 save percentage is 26th in the NHL.
Those numbers don’t tell the whole story. But the most telling and important stat is that Gustavsson has two wins in eight starts.
“Yeah, the hardest part,” Gustavsson said. “You go home and you review it, and right now, I don’t think I would change anything on how I am playing. And, you know, very minor things you can change. The way we played (Tuesday) was fine. It felt more like last year, or when we’re on it and we give up limited chances.”
Said Jake Middleton: “We broke the puck out well. We defended hard. I think we limited their chances to the best of our ability. Like, even the goals they scored were — I don’t even know what to say — they just went in.”
This won’t get any easier. The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming into town rolling, with ageless stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Kaprizov’s summer training partner, leading the way.
It’s Kaprizov’s turn. As much as everyone knows that he will likely break all of Gaborik’s records, there’s one thing the Wild’s first draft pick has over him. Gaborik helped lead the Wild on a lengthy playoff run, including to the conference final in 2003. When Kaprizov signed, he said a key reason was his belief that this current group can get there.
As Kaprizov said Tuesday morning, he hoped they could win and give “some happy stuff for our fans.”
“We need to just start feeling this winning.”