MOSCOW, Apr 1 Canadian Minnesota Wild NHL goaltender Cam Talbot called teammate Russian forward Kirill Kaprizov a superstar who doesn't seek approval but plays for results. Minnesota lost 3-4 in overtime to Pittsburgh on Thursday. Kaprizov scored the puck and scored 83 points this season. The 24-year-old Russian tied the Wild's record for scoring in a single NHL regular season.
"It seems that points or goals scored by him (Kaprizov) always matter. He always brings us back into the game, leveling the score at the end, scoring the puck in overtime. He always finds ways to influence the game without looking for some kind of praise or anything like that. He comes to play when victory is at stake. That's why he's a superstar", Talbot is quoted by the NHL website.
Minnesota selected Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, 135th overall. In the summer of 2020, the forward signed a two-year rookie contract with the Wild. In June 2021, he received the Calder Trophy, given to the best rookie in the NHL. In September of that year, Kaprizov signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Wild.