ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov quickly became close friends with Mats Zuccarello when he joined the Minnesota Wild, a pair of wings with complementary styles who frequently skated together on the first line and forged an even stronger connection off the ice.
Now that the mentor has departed, it's time this season for the protégé to thrive on his own.
“For me, it’s sad a little bit. We’re good friends, and everyone knows that,” said Kaprizov,
who had 45 goals last season to help the Wild reach the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2015. “It’s a lot of business, and a lot of times it happens. I just want to talk with him in the future and stay good friends.”
Zuccarello left as a free agent for the Los Angeles Kings, leaving a void behind him as a playmaking right wing and a trusted and buoyant voice in the locker room. But neither Kaprizov nor the Wild have any doubt that he's going to be just fine, entering his seventh season in the league.
“He was an awesome teammate, but at the end of the day it was time to move on, and I think that’s part of the job," defenseman Brock Faber said. “Kirill’s a superstar for a reason. Obviously his game might need to change a little bit. He’s capable of playing just about any way. He’s that good.”
Kaprizov, who's 10 years younger than Zuccarello, came to Minnesota during the pandemic and spoke little English. Zuccarello, a native of Norway who'd spent eight-plus seasons with the New York Rangers before joining the Wild in 2019, was a valuable resource as he learned a new city, a new culture and a new league.
But as Kaprizov was quick to note last week after the first practice of training camp, Zuccarello was far from the only teammate to look after him upon arrival from Russia. Ryan Hartman, who will likely center Kaprizov's line again this season, was one of the players who sent frequent text messages to check in.
“But I don't speak English,” Kaprizov said, smiling at the recollection. “I just use translator all the time.”
Defenseman Jared Spurgeon, the longest-tenured player on the team, regularly invited him to dinner with his family at their home, where Spurgeon's wife would cook borscht, a Russian soup staple. Zuccarello had Kaprizov over just as often, but his chemistry with the team stretched much further than one friend.
“We’re all going to miss Mats in a way. He’s such a special player, a special guy, and what he brought to the room was awesome. But Kirill’s a mature guy," left wing Marcus Foligno said. "Now he’s a man of his own and a big part of this franchise, and he understands the business is the business.”
Kaprizov could wind up with newcomer Maxim Shabanov on his line, a fellow Russian who signed with the Wild after one season with the New York Islanders and — like Kaprizov — time in the KHL before that.
“He's really good in skill and a good skater, smart, nice vision,” Kaprizov said. “I try help him how I can.”
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