Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov reportedly returned to the United States after previously being denied entry on two separate occasions, eventually returning to his native Russia amid allegations he purchased a fake military ID back in 2017.
Kaprizov, who signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Wild last year, returned to the U.S. over the weekend and is expected to travel to Minnesota on Tuesday, The Athletic reported, citing league sources.
The outlet previously reported last month that the 23-year-old winger was denied entry after attempting to fly out of Dubai and then the Caribbean Islands before returning to Russia.
Additional reports over the last few months suggested Kaprizov was wanted in Russia for allegedly purchasing a fake military ID in 2017, but general manager Bill Guerin said last month that there was no basis for such an allegation.
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"We're just trying to find out as much information as we can ... I don't even know how credible the [report] was," he said at the time, via ESPN.
It remains unclear if Kaprizov was able to leave Russia on a U.S. work visa or via another military deferment, according to ESPN. His last exemption expired on June 30.
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News of Kaprizov’s arrival in the U.S. comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Philadelphia Flyers prospect Ivan Fedotov who was sent to a remote military base in northern Russia last month after being arrested for allegedly planning to evade military service.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.