Kaprizov's latest setback should be an alarm bell for how the NHL is failing its players

[thestonedkoala]

Kaprizov is probably out for the season. He has had a few set backs this years culminating in a lower body surgery that was at best 4-6 weeks recovery time. Most Wild fans knew he probably wouldn't be back for longer, but no one knew how much longer he'd be out for. More than likely he won't be back to his playing form until next season at best.

If you look at what is going on with Kaprizov, you can trace this back to when Logan Stanley folded him on the ice. He struggled at the beginning of last year before getting back to form. But he has had a nagging lower body injury since Stanley took him out almost two years ago.

It's frustrating as a Wild fan because that's two years without our best player and at the peak of his playing career due to some really dumb play by Stanley, who didn't even get fined for the play. And then you had Dillon take him out again with some cross checks to the back.

This comes back to the NHL really doesn't care about mid-market teams like the Wild. We've seen this before with the Wild, where the NHL simply looks the other way and then buries the story until Minnesota takes matters in their own hands and then the NHL scolds them for trying to protect their players. I hate Hartman, but I honestly don't fault Minnesota for having guys like Hartman when the NHL can't even muster up any sort of response.

I also think it goes to show some of the injuries that happen aren't just a day to day, week to week deal but can take years to recover from.

Click to read more...

 

[ijuka]

The biggest issue is that most players keep playing injured and keep accumulating these injuries instead of waiting to heal properly. The teams should be forced to properly let their players heal and recover, not like right now where a player with a broken leg is just given some painkillers and they're ready to go.

 

[Teppo]

He is going to end up being Gaborik part deux. We are the Wild - we can't have nice things.

We will either lose him for nothing as a UFA or get a couple of draft picks at the last moment.

 

[rockymtnoyster]

Let's just let him heal up and hope hes ready for playoffs..
Cant imagine a scenario where we win a playoff round without him.
This injury may lower his Aav on his next contract, which is good, but we need someone to protect Kirill, plain and simple.
When Kirills the biggest forward on his line, that's your problem..
I dont understand why they dont staple JEE with him and Zuccy. Rossi holds his own, but cant protect Kirill and himself, while giving up size.

 

[895]

The wild doctor is the team USA doctor right? and Boston doesn’t seem thrilled with what happened to mcavoy

M Tkachuk was also allowed to suit up and dress for the final despite having a potentially season ending injury.

Seems like the wild doctor is involved in a lot of bad incidents lately

 

[Ceremony]

Aren't the Bruins blaming the Wild's medical staff for McAvoy needing shoulder surgery after the 4 Nations? I'd look closer to home before blaming the league for being mean to your players.

 

[Drake1588]

There's the kernel of a decent point in here, somewhere, but as soon as you went all 'conspiracy theory against the Wild,' I imagine you lost most people.

 

[TheOrganist]

MN Wild Medical Staff bout to get a random email with the subject “what did you do last week?”

 

[PaulD]

Kaprizov is probably out for the season. He has had a few set backs this years culminating in a lower body surgery that was at best 4-6 weeks recovery time. Most Wild fans knew he probably wouldn't be back for longer, but no one knew how much longer he'd be out for. More than likely he won't be back to his playing form until next season at best.

If you look at what is going on with Kaprizov, you can trace this back to when Logan Stanley folded him on the ice. He struggled at the beginning of last year before getting back to form. But he has had a nagging lower body injury since Stanley took him out almost two years ago.

It's frustrating as a Wild fan because that's two years without our best player and at the peak of his playing career due to some really dumb play by Stanley, who didn't even get fined for the play. And then you had Dillon take him out again with some cross checks to the back.

This comes back to the NHL really doesn't care about mid-market teams like the Wild. We've seen this before with the Wild, where the NHL simply looks the other way and then buries the story until Minnesota takes matters in their own hands and then the NHL scolds them for trying to protect their players. I hate Hartman, but I honestly don't fault Minnesota for having guys like Hartman when the NHL can't even muster up any sort of response.

I also think it goes to show some of the injuries that happen aren't just a day to day, week to week deal but can take years to recover from.

Orr
Bossy
Kerr
Neely
Lafontaine
Price
Kluzak
could name 100 more

Nature of the impact game

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

The wild doctor is the team USA doctor right? and Boston doesn’t seem thrilled with what happened to mcavoy

M Tkachuk was also allowed to suit up and dress for the final despite having a potentially season ending injury.

Seems like the wild doctor is involved in a lot of bad incidents lately

The Wild medical staff has been with the team for over 20 years without issues, I know some of them personally and they are seriously the most kind, intelligent, and dedicated people I have ever met, I think its really skeevy that the Bruins medical team is calling them out for the McAvoy issue. Hockey players want to play, if they aren't fully disclosing what is going on, its going to be next to impossible to be properly diagnosed, the Doctors aren't going to order every test possible costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for every nick and scratch.

Injuries heal differently for everyone, there is no standard timetable for every injury, especially ones that are strains, relying on best case scenario returns and then being upset when they aren't met is just an unrealistic expectation. Get Kaprizov healthy and playing like he did to end last season and start this season and its all good.

 

[Rand0m]

Aren't the Bruins blaming the Wild's medical staff for McAvoy needing shoulder surgery after the 4 Nations? I'd look closer to home before blaming the league for being mean to your players.

They’ve been very quiet about what exactly is wrong, but Brady missed the 1st game back and yesterday the Sens had their skills competition and he couldn’t even suit up and had to stand on the bench. My guess is he’s out a couple weeks at this point.

His injury clearly happened earlier in the tournament and it looks like he was shot up by the Team USA medical staff so he could power through it.

 

[north21]

Orr
Bossy
Kerr
Neely
Lafontaine
Price
Kluzak
could name 100 more

Nature of the impact game

It is a rough sport.

 

[tarheelhockey]

This comes back to the NHL really doesn't care about mid-market teams like the Wild

To be fair, the NHL has a long and prestigious history of allowing stars to be hunted and destroyed, in markets of all sizes.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Wild medical staff seems questionable at this point. Do you really think even a lengthy suspension to Stanley would do anything to help the situation at all?

 

[rockymtnoyster]

Wild medical staff seems questionable at this point. Do you really think even a lengthy suspension to Stanley would do anything to help the situation at all?

This. He'd get less then Hartman got, and nothing would change.

 

[benfranklin]

I dont understand how this is an NHL problem. Seems like a Wild/KK problem coming back sooner than he should.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

This. He'd get less then Hartman got, and nothing would change.

Yeah, he'd still be hurt

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

The wild doctor is the team USA doctor right? and Boston doesn’t seem thrilled with what happened to mcavoy

M Tkachuk was also allowed to suit up and dress for the final despite having a potentially season ending injury.

Seems like the wild doctor is involved in a lot of bad incidents lately

Seems like this may be the issue indeed. McAvoy may be out for a while due to the cheapshot and the Minnesota doctors.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

The Wild medical staff has been with the team for over 20 years without issues, I know some of them personally and they are seriously the most kind, intelligent, and dedicated people I have ever met, I think its really skeevy that the Bruins medical team is calling them out for the McAvoy issue. Hockey players want to play, if they aren't fully disclosing what is going on, its going to be next to impossible to be properly diagnosed, the Doctors aren't going to order every test possible costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for every nick and scratch.

Injuries heal differently for everyone, there is no standard timetable for every injury, especially ones that are strains, relying on best case scenario returns and then being upset when they aren't met is just an unrealistic expectation. Get Kaprizov healthy and playing like he did to end last season and start this season and its all good.

Let alone the "Team USA" aspect, McAvoy is a $9.5 million per year defenseman.

Absolutely that medical staff had better be testing anything and everything regardless of the cost. Not a good defense of them. They may be kind, intelligent, and dedicated but they should have been better by all accounts.

 

[rockymtnoyster]

Seems very suspicious considering EEK seems to always be battling an injury, as well as Brodin and Spurgeon.
This along with Lauko legit having 2-3 setbacks this season and Gus' "lower body injury". Gus and KK better be ready for playoffs !

 

[BagHead]

Let alone the "Team USA" aspect, McAvoy is a $9.5 million per year defenseman.

Absolutely that medical staff had better be testing anything and everything regardless of the cost. Not a good defense of them. They may be kind, intelligent, and dedicated but they should have been better by all accounts.

Ordering unnecessary tests is actually illegal. They have to listen to their patients and order tests based on what that patient says, what their symptoms are, and what is reasonable.

Disclaimer: I am neither endorsing nor condemning the Wild's medical staff until I am given better information than what has been released to date.

 

[FlyguyOX]

Where is this "out for the year" news coming from?

 

[Romang67]

What rule in the rulebook did Stanley break when he went over the top of Kaprizov? What, specifically, should he have been penalized, fined, and/or suspended for?

For the record, per Michael Russo, before he decided to ignore his own reporting, reported that Kaprizov described the play as an unfortunate accident caused by Kaprizov's incorrect positioning, and that he held no ill will toward Stanley. This was a month or so after the play, when he had been out injured.

 

[BB79]

Aren't the Bruins blaming the Wild's medical staff for McAvoy needing shoulder surgery after the 4 Nations? I'd look closer to home before blaming the league for being mean to your players.

I'm blaming the cheapshot by the Finland player for McAvoy's injury first and foremost.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

I also blame the Wild, and their fans who subsidize that particular NHL franchise, for this incident.