And the clearest signal that Kaprizov and Spurgeon would be back is that the Wild reassigned defenseman David Jiricek two hours after practice. If you did the salary cap math, it really was the only option to get below the cap ceiling once Kaprizov is activated from LTIR.

As most Minnesota Wild fans have seen by now, their beloved star scorer, Kirill Kaprizov, is set to undergo surgery for a lower-body injury that has bothered him for most of the season.

Upon his return from injury on Wednesday, Kirill Kaprizov’s teammates said they missed his smile. “It’s really good to have him back,” Kaprizov’s Norwegian bestie, Mats Zuccarello, said after seeing him after Wednesday’s practice.

While still holding the best road record in the NHL, Minnesota fell to below .500 at home (11-12-1) with the loss.

Superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov and veteran defenseman Jared Spurgeon returned to practice on Wednesday. Head coach John Hynes told reporters he's "cautiously optimistic" that both will play in their upcoming game against the Utah Hockey Club at Xcel Energy Center.

The Minnesota Wild last played away on January 26 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild won by a score of 4-2 in regulation, and their current league record is 29-17-4 for a 0.620 Points %. Tied with the Leafs in Points %, the Wild are third in the central with a goal differential even more slight than the Leafs at +3.

THROUGH GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29, 2025

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander and the Minnesota Wild’s Matthew Boldy will be two of the best players to watch when these teams meet on Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET, at Scotiabank Arena. Purchase tickets for this game at StubHub!

The NHL schedule on Wednesday features a matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs (30-18-2) and the Minnesota Wild (29-17-4), starting at 7:00 PM ET at Scotiabank Arena and broadcast on ESPN+. The Maple Leafs are third in the Eastern Conference and the Wild rank fifth in the Western Conference.

Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild play the Calgary Flames on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET. Does a wager on Kaprizov interest you? Use our stats and information to make the final decision.

Eriksson Ek scored a power-play goal on four shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.