Wild Offense Starved for Kirill Kaprizov Return

The Minnesota Wild are sliding down the Western Conference standings. Earlier in the season, they were at the top of the Central Division. With the regular season winding down, they occupy the first Wild Card spot. However, with 11 games remaining, the postseason is far from guaranteed.

What the Wild need more than anything is the return of superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov from injury. Their top-scoring winger has played in just 37 games this season and last appeared in the lineup in January against the Chicago Blackhawks.

When he was in the lineup, he produced like an MVP candidate. He had 23 goals, 29 assists, and 52 points in those 37 contests to lead the team before his injury. With him in the lineup, the team has gone 22-13-1 but without him, they've gone 18-14-2 this season.

In his absence, the Wild's offense has devolved into middling. Their goal differential dipped into the negatives on February 27th, dropping to the team's current -4 differential. The team has consistently been outscored over the past few weeks, with lopsided scores becoming more common.

They also rank 27th in the NHL in scoring per game, with a 2.70 average. That ranks above the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, and Nashville Predators. All five teams, six if you include Minnesota, are in danger of missing the playoffs because of their offensive failures.

The Wild need help before it's too late. There's speculation that their top prospect, Zeev Buium, will join the NHL squad once his NCAA season ends. That will be a nice boost for the stretch run. They also have veteran center Joel Eriksson Ek, who is expected to return.

The most important piece remains Karpizov. His health is paramoun