Uproar surrounding latest Connor Bedard - Kirill Kaprizov crazy rumour!

It started on comments made on a podcast, The Hockey Show, and quickly got out of hand from there. Blackhawks insider Mark Lazerus of the Athletic spoke about Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov potentially looking to be moved to Chicago and it started quite the uproar on social media.

When Lazerus mentioned how Kaprizov could be tempted to choose to join the Blackhawks in 2026 when his contract expires in Minnesota, he also revealed how there was a rumor on the draft floor back in June was that Kaprizov wanted to be in Chicago.

Many believe that the Russian forward is extremely interested in playing alongside rookie sensation Connor Bedard as the Blackhawks, thanks to some additional moves in this offseason, are becoming a more competitive and talented team.

At this time, things do not look as promising in Minnesota with the Wild stuck in cap purgatory because of dead cap space on their books. If Kaprizov is serious about leaving, this would be the ultimate blow to the Wild.

However, on Wednesday seeing that the comments he had made on the podcast caused so much uproar, Lazerus clarified what he had said, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter:

“Let me clarify, please: I reported back in June that the Blackhawks see Kaprizov as a potential big add in two years, this generation’s Marian Hossa , so to speak. Is Kaprizov intrigued by the possibility? Sure. Does he “want” it now? No. I misspoke extemporaneously on the pod.”

When the rumour surfaces following the podcast, fans commented how Kaprizov would never go “to that dumpster fire”, though others felt he would be right to look to play with the next face of the NHL in Bedard.

Lazerus also added: "Kaprizov has two years left on his contract. This decision is forever away. Nothing is imminent, nothing is set in stone, Kaprizov is not asking out, nothing like that. Stand down. I didn’t intend to imply otherwise.”

He finished with, “In short: The Blackhawks have their eye on Kaprizov in two years, not the other way around.”

The Wild missed out on the postseason this past spring while the Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the NHL in 2023-24. Bedard has however put up a Calder Trophy-winning rookie campaign and could be enough to tempt Kaprizov to eventually make the move to Chicago.

In 278 career games with the Wild, Kaprizov has scored 160 goals and 170 assists for 330 career points. He is the best player in Minnesota and the hope is that the Wild will contend this season and perhaps convince the Russian forward to stick around.