"I don't think about it much, but with all the Instagram, you do see it and, of course, seeing another opponent there, it helps motivate you," the Wild forward said Tuesday of being a leading candidate for the Calder. "It makes you want to do better and that's as any competitor would. But other than that, I don't focus or think about it, to be honest.
"With today's day and age with social media, everyone has Instagram and things like that. I'm constantly getting messages [about the Calder race]. I see it everywhere. It's hard not to notice it. ... I don't stress about it. Obviously, it's always great to win something, but for me personally, the team performance is first, and any personal accolades come after that.
"For the reporters, it's probably quite a bit of clickbait to get the ratings up, but for me personally, I really don't think about it much."
Kaprizov, who turned 24 on Monday, leads NHL rookies with 41 points (22 goals, 19 assists) in 47 games, one ahead of Robertson, a 21-year-old who has scored 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 44 games.
Kaprizov is the leading scorer for the Wild (31-11-4), who clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth with a 6-3 win at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, when he scored once to extend his goal streak to five games (six goals). He can become the fourth NHL rookie to lead his team in points in the regular season since 1993-94 and the first since Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews in 2016-17 (69 points in 82 games).