Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov Receives Hart Trophy Votes

The National Hockey League (NHL) announced on Thursday the recipient of the 2024-25 Hart Trophy award which is given to the player who was most valuable to its team. 

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck won the award. Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson got a fifth place vote for the award. But Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov got some love as well. 

Kaprizov, 28, finished 16th in Hart Trophy voting with three fifth place votes. 

In a season that Kaprizov missed 41 games with an injury on two different stints, he still recorded 25 goals and 56 points. He was a plus-19 in 41 games as well. He finished third on the team in points and first in plus-minus. 

The Wild's All-Star forward is set to enter the 2025-26 season on his last year of his five-year contract. The Wild are eligible to offer him a contract extension as soon at July 1st. 

It is safe to say, July 1st will be an important day for the Wild and a big day. Kaprizov has 185 goals, 201 assists and 386 points in 319 career NHL games. 

He is coming off a playoff series where he posted five goals and nine points in six games. He has 15 goals and 21 points in 25 career playoff games.

Kaprizov ranks second all-time in Wild franchise history for career playoff goals. He is one goal from tying Zach Parise who has the record. Parise played in 44 playoff games. That is 19 more games than Kaprizov. 

If Kaprizov had played a full season this year, there is no doubt he would have finished top three in Hart Trophy voting.

He was on pace for 50 goals, 62 assists and 112 points in an 82-game season. That would have put him behind Nathan MacKinnon (116) and Nikita Kucherov (121) for most points in the NHL. Leon Draisailt led the league in goals with 52. William Nylander was second with 45.