Kirill Kaprizov Joins Connor McDavid In Exclusive NHL Company With Historic Start To Season

Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov continues to put together one of the most impressive starts to a season in NHL history.

Kaprizov scored his 11th goal of the 2026-27 season on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers, placing himself alongside some of the biggest names in hockey.

With 11 goals through his first 10 games, Kaprizov matched the most goals by an active NHL player through the first 10 games of a season.

The only other active players to accomplish the feat are Connor McDavid (2022-23), David Pastrnak (2019-20) and Nikita Kucherov (2017-18).

It's an exclusive group featuring some of the NHL's most dangerous offensive players, and Kaprizov has now added his name to the list.

The milestone is particularly fitting considering Kaprizov accomplished it against McDavid and the Oilers.

McDavid went on to score 64 goals and record 153 points during the 2022-23 season, winning the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.

Pastrnak finished his 2019-20 campaign with 48 goals in 70 games, sharing the Rocket Richard Trophy with Alex Ovechkin. Kucherov scored 39 goals during the 2017-18 season.

While there is still a long way to go, Kaprizov's early scoring pace has placed him in some remarkable company.

But Tuesday's performance wasn't just about his goal-scoring start.

Kaprizov also reached another milestone in Minnesota Wild franchise history.

By factoring into the game's opening goal, Kaprizov recorded his 74th career point on a game-opening goal, passing Pierre-Marc Bouchard for sole possession of third place in franchise history.

Only two players remain ahead of him: former Wild captain Mikko Koivu, who leads the franchise with 121, and Marian Gaborik, who sits second with 79.

That puts Kaprizov just five such points away from tying Gaborik for second place on the franchise's all-time list.

For a player who has already established himself as one of the greatest offensive talents in Wild history, it's another example of the impact he's made since arriving in Minnesota.

Kaprizov has consistently been the focal point of the Wild's offense, and his ability to produce in key moments has helped him climb several franchise leaderboards.

Now, just 10 games into the season, he's accomplishing something even some of the NHL's biggest stars have never done.

And if his current scoring pace continues, Kaprizov could be on his way to another historic season in Minnesota.

See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.