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That’s Wild
- Kirill Kaprizov has already set some Minnesota Wild franchise records but very soon he could put his name at the very top of the all-time goals record. He needs just three more goals to pass Marian Gaborik as the Wild’s all-time goals leader. Could he do it this week, with the Wild having exactly one game left before the Olympic break? Just score a hat trick in Nashville, Kirill. [Pioneer Press]
- Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes continue to bring the best out of each other and it was on full display during the overtime win against Montreal. [StarTribune]
- The stars have aligned for Marc-Andre Fleury to take the ice again and come out of retirement. [Hockey Wilderness]
- An area of improvement that needs to be attended to is the Wild’s fourth line. Would the team trading for a top-six forward then push everyone down and make this improvement? Possibly. [Hockey Wilderness]
Off the trail…
- There’s some panic in Philadelphia. After star winger Matvei Michkov showed up to training camp not in tip-top shape, new head coach Rick Tocchet has been playing him in limited minutes and the fan base has grown uneasy. The tipping point was this week when Michkov played just over 10 minutes against the Kings, causing a firestorm online. So much so that general manager Danny Briere had to come out and address the concerns. He calmed the waters saying that Michkov is valued and will be a Flyer for a very long time, and he trusts Tocchet to develop him. [Sportsnet]
- The X-Factor for the top six Olympic teams. [ESPN]
- The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers now sit at the bottom of their division. Yikes. [TSN]