Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov needs surgery to repair a lower-body injury and is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks.
Kaprizov returned from a 12-game absence to play in his team’s past three games. He recorded an assist in each of the past two contests. Still, the injury has been impacting him since December.
“So, I think the best thing to do is to shut (him) down right now for a little while, fix the problem, and then get (him) back at 100 percent,” Wild general manager Bill Guerin said.
Guerin said Kaprizov, 27, is week to week and that his injury is not season-ending.
Kaprizov leads the team in goals (23), assists (29), points (52) and rating (plus-19) in 37 games this season.
The Calder Trophy recipient as the NHL’s top rookie in 2020-21, Kaprizov has totaled 382 points (183 goals, 199 assists) in 315 career games with the Wild.