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With the NHL All-Star Game just under a month away on Saturday, Feb. 3 in Toronto, the announcements were made for each team selection on Thursday evening, Jan. 4. With the Minnesota Wild having so many injuries to their top players, the decision couldn’t have been easy, especially choosing a currently injured player.
Understandably, they wouldn’t take a chance on goaltender Filip Gustavsson with his recent injury and not being ready to go in time. Kirill Kaprizov was always the likely choice, but he too is one of seven Wild players injured, so it’s a little surprising that he made it in terms of recovery time and being ready.
Wild’s Kaprizov Deserving of the Honor
If Kaprizov was healthy, there’s no way he’d not be picked for the Wild’s single All-Star selection. He remains their best player even with the rough season he’s had so far. He’s played in 34 games this season and has 13 goals plus 21 assists for 34 points. When most thought he started the season rough because he wasn’t scoring goals in every game he played, he was still recording points.
Before his injury, he worked hard to turn his game around from constantly turning the puck over to being more responsible with the puck. As far as being an All-Star, he is exactly that; he’s the first “star” caliber player the Wild have ever had outside of Marc-André Fleury and Marián Gáborík.
He sees the ice differently than everyone else, he’s a workhorse, and despite making mistakes as every player does, he stands out above everyone else. He’s been in the top five in the NHL for scoring in the past, has scored over 100 points in a season, and is a Calder Trophy winner. Out of everyone on the Wild, he’s the top name you think of when it comes to the All-Star Game.
Wild’s All-Star Weekend
It’s still possible for another Wild member to join Kaprizov as fans can vote for the final 12 roster spots. Again, the NHL is looking to encourage fans to watch the weekend event as they’ve made more changes such as “NHL All-Star Thursday.” According to NHL.com, the usual player draft will be back but the captains of each team will be placed with celebrities to choose their team members.
The newly formed PWHL will have the spotlight with a 3-on-3 game as well as other exciting things. With all the changes, the Skills Competition will also have some new items, and instead of players just showing off their skills for who’s the best at each event, there will be points to earn in the eight events.
To break it down further, players will show their skills in four of the first six events and the best of those will move on to the seventh event. The best of that event will then move on to the final to compete for the $1 million prize for the player with the most points, which hasn’t been done before. Hopefully, Kaprizov will be able to show his stuff and make Minnesota proud. Regardless, he’ll be able to show his worth during the game and hopefully help his respective team win.
More must-reads:
- NHL players who will send their GM a 'thank you' card next summer
- Oilers GM Stan Bowman offers massive Connor McDavid update
- The '2024-25 NFL TD catch leaders' quiz
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Canadiens Open Up About Brawl With Capitals
The Montreal Canadiens may have lost to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they made sure to set off some fireworks while they could. In Game 3, as the Canadiens and Capitals were heading to the locker room for the second intermission, a brawl broke out between the two teams. Scrums broke out between the players, with the peak coming from Canadiens forward Josh Anderson and Capitals forward Tom Wilson mixing it up on the bench. Anderson and Wilson started their fight on the ice, but an open door to the Capitals bench forced their momentum off the playing surface. The brawl between the Canadiens and Capitals ended up being one of the biggest highlights of the playoffs, but no one really knew why it started. A couple of Canadiens players cleared the air recently on what sparked the melee. According to Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj, backup goalie Jakub Dobes was chirping and trash talking everyone on the Canadiens all game from his bench. “He’s looking over, he’s chirping every single guy that comes off the ice,” Xhekaj said. “He’s yelling at them, chirping them. Next thing you know, our goalie gets hurt and Doby has to go in. Uh oh.” After about 11 minutes of the second period, Canadiens starting goalie Sam Montembeault suffered an injury, forcing Dobes to between the pipes for his first career playoff appearance. “That is true,” Dobes said. “They definitely were not nice to me the first five minutes.” Xhekaj went on to add more detail about the brawl starting, noting that the Capitals were waiting on the ice to have a few word with Dobes. “The periods over, so the other team has to skate across the ice and Doby has to skate through all of them,” Xhekaj said. “Nobody left, they just waited for Doby because they wanted to have a word with him. Then I got in there and it was madness.” Game 3 ended up being the only win the Canadiens had in the series, picking up a 6-3 victory. Dobes was credited with the win, making seven saves on eight shots in his relief effort.
New York Mets acquire centerfielder Cedric Mullins from Orioles
The New York Mets have swung another deal with the Baltimore Orioles. First, it was a trade to acquire left-handed relief pitcher Gregory Soto last Friday. Fast forward six days later and the Mets have now landed centerfielder Cedric Mullins from the Orioles in exchange for minor leaguers: Raimon Gomez (No. 30 prospect), Chandler Marsh and Anthony Nunez. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com was on Mullins first and Will Sammon of The Athletic had the full return. The Mets were in need of a centerfielder and got their man in Mullins, who is a rental piece. Mullins is slashing .229/.305/.433 with a .738 OPS, 15 home runs and 49 RBI. Although Mullins has had a rough go at the plate since May, he is beginning to heat up lately, hitting .306 with a .852 OPS in his last 15 games. Mullins, a left-handed bat, joins a fully left-handed hitting outfield with the Mets alongside Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo. The lefty swinging Jeff McNeil has also seen extensive time in center this year as well. Outfielder Tyrone Taylor, who has struggled offensively, will likely lose playing time.
Yankees only willing to part with top prospect for one specific player
The New York Yankees (59-49) have already been quite busy as buyers ahead of the July 31 (6 p.m. EST) trade deadline. Third baseman Ryan McMahon, infielder Amed Rosario and outfielder Austin Slater have all been added to the fold over the last week as Brian Cashman looks to push his roster over the top in pursuit of a World Series. While the Yankees have been active, they've done so without giving up any of their top prospects. Outfielder Spencer Jones continues to be a hot commodity around baseball, though New York is hesitant to deal him. Unless that is for Pirates superstar starting pitcher Paul Skenes, that is. MLB insider Jon Heyman shared the report on Thursday afternoon. Cashman and the Yankees clearly hold Jones in very high regard, which makes sense given he's lit up both AA and AAA in 2025. The 24-year-old is batting an impressive .402 with 13 HRs and 25 RBI in just 21 games since getting called up to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. His 6'7, 240-pound frame and skillset as a left-handed hitter are tantalizing, and he'll be ready to make an impact at the big league level sooner rather than later. Despite that, there's no question the Yankees should and would be willing to put him on the table in a trade for Skenes. The 23-year-old has been absolutely dominant to start his MLB career, with a 1.89 earned run average through his first 45 starts. He's already emerged as one of, if not the best, pitchers in baseball, with plenty of room to grow. The Pirates (47-62) have shown zero inclination or willingness to move on from Skenes, though you have to figure that teams like the Yankees will continue to call as long as Pittsburgh continues to struggle. It feels like a pipe dream for now, but holding out hope for Skenes to one day become available could be worth the wait, and no prospect would be excluded in such a deal.
Eugenio Suarez Reportedly Has Simple, But Perfect Reaction to Being Traded to Seattle Mariners
According to Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710, All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a simple, but exciting response to being traded back to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. Drayer, who was on the team plane from Sacramento to Seattle, said the Mariners held the plane for Suarez, who had just arrived with the Arizona Diamondbacks for their weekend series against the Athletics. When Suarez entered the plane himself, he went down the entire plane and greeted each person individually. Suarez had played with the Mariners from 2022-2023 and was considered the biggest offensive prize at the deadline. He has 36 home runs this season. Per Drayer on the 'Brock and Salk' show: I spoke very briefly with him, and he just said, ‘I am so happy,' Mariners fans are also excited to see Suarez return, and catcher Cal Raleigh gave a ringing endorsement of the move as well. Bringing in Suarez will give the Mariners the deepest lineup they've had in years, as he'll pair with Raleigh, Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor. The Mariners have a solid left-right balance and have a good combination of speed and power. Seattle enters play on Thursday at 57-52 and in second place in the American League West, five games back of the Houston Astros. They are also tied with the Texas Rangers for the third and final wild card spot in the AL. Both teams are trailing the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The Mariners will play the Rangers on Thursday at 6:40 p.m. PT.
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