Despite missing almost all of camp, Robertson finished with 46 goals and 109 points - almost identical numbers to Kaprizov’s previous year. He ultimately inked a five-year, $45 million contract on the eve of camp, arrived on time but admittedly got off to a rusty start and was behind the rest of his teammates - before scoring a career-high and franchise-record 47 goals and 108 points.Ĭoincidentally, last fall, Robertson didn’t sign his four-year, $31 million deal until a few days before the season began. Even the team didn’t know that Kaprizov took it upon himself to fly to South Florida two weeks in advance of signing so he could begin his mandatory COVID-19 quarantine in the event he signed. Last season, Kaprizov was in a contract dispute with the Wild. Third, they may be the exception to the rule that a quality training camp is the most vital thing toward a monster season. Kaprizov has played 203 games and has 114 goals, while Robertson has scored 104 goals in 210 games. Second, in three seasons (Robertson did play three games in 2019-20), Kaprizov and Robertson have an identical 234 points. Kaprizov is 25, Robertson is 23, and besides the fact that one is from Siberia and the other is from Southern California, they’re on a career trajectory where they’ll always be compared.įirst, they finished 1-2 in the Calder in 2020, although Robertson is humble and self-deprecating when he volunteers that Kaprizov “beat me by a few laps.” Kaprizov indeed had 99 first-place votes to Robertson’s one. If there’s such a thing as karma, Wild fans are certainly hoping it could make it the year their team ends a string of first-round exits triggered by, coincidentally, the Stars in 2016.īut beyond all of that, one of the most exciting aspects of this series will be the head-to-head matchup of two of the best, most dynamic and most prolific young left wingers in the NHL: Kirill Kaprizov vs. And then, of course, there’s the intrigue of the series coming 30 years after Norm Green broke the hearts of Minnesotans and relocated the North Stars south.
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