The Minnesota Wild is worried about Kirill Kaprizov

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Jeff Drouin
July 29, 2022 (3:20 PM)

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Earlier this month, Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov was denied entry into the United States while attempting to return to his home in Minnesota. Instead, he was sent back to his native country. The news at the time was that Kaprizov did not have a valid work visa, but that the Russian-American Consulate was working on his case to get him back to America.

He was subsequently denied entry again. Kaprizov was then accused of acquiring a fake military ID in 2017 to avoid mandatory military service, and that ID reportedly expired, making Kaprizov eligible for the military. As a result, Kaprizov has had to remain in a country currently at war with Ukraine, and no one really knows what will happen to him and if he will be able to rejoin the Wild for the start of the season.

General Manager Bill Guerin spoke with Wild informant Michael Russo and mentioned his concern in the matter.

"He should be OK and we should be OK. He should be back in time for the start of next season but it's a delicate situation and I'd rather not comment too much on it." - Bill Guerin

Obviously, there's more at stake here than hockey, but if I'm a Wild fan, this makes me extremely nervous. Needless to say, I suspect that Guerin and the Wild organization are doing everything they can to bring Kaprizov back to the United States.

Last season, the forward, who was in his second season with the Wild, had 47 goals and 61 assists for 108 points in 81 games. His loss would be huge for the Wild, but first we have to think about his health and safety.