The Minnesota Wild have been one of the NHL's biggest success stories as the 2024-25 season nears its halfway point.
The Wild are boasting a Central Division-leading 19-5-4 record (42 points) ahead of Thursday's clash with the Edmonton Oilers. Hockey is a team sport and several contributors have played a role in Minnesota's early success, however, no one has made a bigger impact than Kirill Kaprizov.
Kaprizov is in the middle of a career year as he currently ranks second in goals (18) and points (43) across the league through 27 games. He's averaging a career-best 1.59 points per game, putting him on pace for 129 points if he doesn't miss another outing.
Unsurprisingly, Kaprizov's electric performance has earned him a lot of attention as a potential Hart Memorial Trophy candidate. He's currently the Most Valuable Player favorite across most sportsbooks and his momentum isn't showing any signs of slowing down soon.
In a recent poll voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA), 69.2 percent of voters agreed that Kaprizov should win the 2024-25 Hart Memorial Trophy. That's a major increase from the 41.9 percent he sat at in November.
The fact that Kaprizov's MVP odds are rising can't be ignored. A few of the PHWA representatives explained to The Athletic why they're fully backing the Wild superstar in the award race.
"It feels like there’s a bit of a snowball building up behind Kirill Kaprizov," Senior NHL writer Sean Gentille wrote. "The impact he has overall, and given the specifics of the team he plays for, is kind of stunning."
It isn't hard to see what kind of impactful role Kaprizov has played for the Wild this year. Minnesota is an impressive 18-2-3 when the Russian forward records a point this season compared to a 1-3-1 record when he's been held pointless.
Fellow senior writer James Mirtle agreed that Kaprizov's reliable offensive production is a big reason why he's leading the MVP race. The 27-year-old phenom has a legitimate shot at reaching the 130-point mark, which has only been hit by three players since 2000.
The Athletic's Shayna Goldman also views Kaprizov as the favorite, however, she added that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck could close the gap down the stretch. The veteran netminder is 18-5-0 with a .927 save percentage, 2.09 goals-against average and three shutouts in 23 appearances.
Having said that, winning the MVP award could be a long shot for Hellebuyck. A goaltender has won the Hart Memorial Trophy only eight times in NHL history, and the most recent instance came when Carey Price won it with the Montreal Canadiens in 2014-15.
In other words, Kaprizov should remain the favorite if he maintains his current pace.
The former 2015 fifth-rounder has lived up to the hype since making his NHL debut four years ago. Kaprizov has since gone on to rack up 178 points and 195 points in 305 career games, racking up three All-Star Game appearances along the way.
Continuing to play at an MVP-like level could result in Kaprizov seeing a massive payday in his future. He only has two seasons remaining on the five-year, $45 million contract extension he signed back in September 2021 and will need a new deal before hitting free agency in 2026.
Early season rumors suggested that Kaprizov might leave the Wild when he becomes a free agent, however, that seems to be a thing of the past. On Wednesday, Minnesota owner Craig Leipold made it clear that extending his star player is a "priority."
"There’s no doubt. We want Kirill. He’s a big part of our future," Leipold told NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika. "It’s an important part of our strategic plan to get him signed for as long as we can."
Kaprizov will look to improve his MVP odds (and chances of a pay raise) when the Wild host the Oilers on Thursday night. The upcoming Western Conference clash can be viewed on ESPN+ and Hulu at 8:30 p.m. ET.
