Neither is Kaprizov, who hopped off the plane with a huge smile on his face. After chatting with a reporter, Kaprizov handled a quick social media request by announcing his return, even winking for the camera unsolicited.
Kaprizov said he's heard from several of his teammates in recent days eager to have him back in the mix ahead of the season.
"I talked to them tonight, everybody texted me and said, 'Congratulations, we're happy," Kaprizov said. "And I texted back, 'Thank you, I'm happy too.'"
Everyone's joy is well-founded.
Kaprizov took the NHL by storm during an abbreviated 56-game season where the rookie played in each of the first 55 games.
He led the Wild and NHL rookies with 51 points, including 27 goals, in 55 games. He also led League rookies in goals, even-strength goals (19), power-play goals (8) and shots on goal (157), ranked tied for first in overtime goals (2), second in assists, even-strength points (38) and power-play points (13),
Per NHL Stats, the 5-foot-11, 201-pound forward is one of four rookies since 1992-93 to lead a team in scoring during the regular season and qualify for the playoffs: Auston Matthews (2016-17), Filip Forsberg (2014-15) and Trent Hunter (2003-04).
Kaprizov also led the Wild in goals, power-play goals and even-strength points, was tied for the club lead in even-strength goals, was second in power-play points and shots on goal. His 18:18 time on ice per game also led all Wild forwards.
For his efforts, Kaprizov was named the 2020-21 Calder Memorial Trophy winner on June 29, receiving 99 out of 100 first place votes. In doing so, he became the first Wild player to win the award.
Selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Kaprizov is the 10th Calder Memorial Trophy winner since 1970 to be drafted in the fifth round or later of the NHL Draft.
"This is a great day for our organization and for Kirill personally, for us a a team to have him back in the mix before training camp starts," Guerin said. "Everything is positive. It's been a long process like we knew it would be, but everything is great. We're looking forward now."
The belief has been that the Wild and Kaprizov's representation have been close on the terms of the deal for some time, and that it was simply a matter of hammering out the final details.
The start of training camp served as a useful - and obvious - book end to the offseason to get both sides to back to the table, which occurred in recent days. Whatever gaps needed to be bridged were closed, and now the focus can turn to hockey.
"Of course, of course. I want to play and I want to win," Kaprizov said. "Everyone is happy. It's a good feeling."
