Kirill Kaprizov

Since moving from the KHL's CSKA Moscow to the Wild in 2020-21, Kaprizov has been one of the NHL's best goal scorers, ranking sixth with 160 markers across 278 contests over the past four seasons. The 27-year-old continued his success in 2023-24, supplying 46 tallies and 96 points in 75 appearances. He managed to reach the 40-goal milestone for the third straight campaign despite providing just eight goals over his first 29 appearances. A cold start isn't an entirely new concept for him -- he also supplied only three markers through his first 15 games in 2021-22 en route to a 47-goal campaign -- so don't overreact if he doesn't initially live up to expectations this year. When the dust settles on 2024-25, he will have likely contributed over 40 goals and 80 points.

Kaprizov turned in a second straight 40-goal campaign last year, but his overall production took a significant hit. He totaled 75 points in 67 games after racking up 108 points during the 2021-22 season. The star winger missed 15 of the final 17 games of the season and was then held to just one goal in six playoff appearances. Kaprizov managed to set new career highs in both power-play goals and points - 17 and 32, respectively - and average time on ice with 21:07 per game. The 26-year-old will continue to be Minnesota's offensive anchor, both at even strength and with the man advantage. Kaprizov should push for his first career 50-goal performance with a fully healthy campaign.

Kaprizov was widely viewed as the best player not currently in the NHL upon his arrival in Minnesota in the fall of 2020, but even his most optimistic supporters wouldn't have envisioned him posting 47 goals and 108 points in 81 games in just his second season with the Wild. Kaprizov is a true franchise-altering talent. He's equally adept at both playmaking and finishing his own chances. Kaprizov shot the puck more a season ago, finishing with 289 shots on net, and if he keeps firing that type of volume, he's going to score 50 goals sooner rather than later. Add in Kaprizov's production with the man advantage - 31 points a season ago - and you have a player who will cost a first-round pick in fantasy drafts this fall, and likely be well worth it.

A former star in his native Russia, Kaprizov's first NHL campaign was exceptional. He led all freshmen in goals (27), points (51), and shots on goal (157) on his way to claiming the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. Kaprizov missed just one game all season and that was for rest purposes as the Wild prepared for their first-round playoff series with Vegas, which they ultimately lost in seven. Kaprizov's hockey IQ is through the roof and he's deadly in open space. He has the look of a perennial NHL All-Star, with the lone concern at this point being his contract. Kaprizov is already a restricted free agent. Minnesota has offered big money on a long-term deal (think 7-8 years), but Kaprizov reportedly prefers a shorter (3-4 years) contract. This should be settled well before camp but keep an eye on it heading into your draft.

Kaprizov will come to the NHL with plenty of hype after putting up 33 goals and 62 points in 57 appearances with CSKA Moscow of the KHL last year. A fifth-round pick from 2015, Kaprizov has shown steady growth while playing a significant role with one of the best teams in his native Russia. He's expected to slot into a top-six role in 2020-21 and should provide a boost to a Wild offense that averaged a solid 3.16 goals per game last year. The left wing is still an unknown quantity in North America, but he'll be worth a look in deeper formats as a forward with 40-point upside.

The Wild selected Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft (135th overall). Since then, he's spent the entirety of his time playing in the KHL, albeit for three different clubs. Kaprizov has tallied 82 points in 95 games over the past two seasons, splitting time between Ufa Salavat Yulayev and CSKA Moscow. A former captain of Russia's World Junior team, Kaprizov has been a special player in the KHL for a few years now, including being named to two consecutive KHL All-Star games. Unfortunately for Minnesota, he signed a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow almost a year ago and is unlikely to play in the NHL anytime soon.