The Minnesota Wild went into this offseason looking for a top-line center, but their efforts have been fruitless so far. Their talks with the Detroit Red Wings for Dylan Larkin continue to go nowhere and while they’ve called on New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, who is the brother of Wild star defenseman Quinn Hughes, they don’t seem close to achieving one of their biggest offseason goals.
The closer the start of the 2026-27 regular season gets, the more likely the Wild will look to roll out the same group of centers they had one year ago. But while there’s still time to make a big trade, it could also produce a silver lining that allows Danila Yurov to improve his value or even become the player Minnesota has been looking for all along.
Danila Yurov could get the opportunity he needs to break out next season
Yurov has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors this summer as one of the centerpieces of a potential trade. The 24th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Yurov’s rookie season was solid with 12 goals and 27 points in 73 games, but it came with some disappointment from fans that expected the Russian to make an instant impact.
That disappointment continued as the Wild rolled into the playoffs. An injury to Joel Eriksson Ek forced Yurov to take on a bigger role as a top-six center and Yurov wasn’t ready, scoring just once and recording three points in nine playoff games. An even bigger problem was his performance in the face-off circle as he won just 39.2 percent of his draws during the regular season and 28.6 percent during the playoffs.
These are the aspects that have made Yurov less appealing in trade talks and put him in a similar position as former Wild center Marco Rossi, a player whose game can handle a top-six role, but also needed time and opportunity to get there. But Yurov’s upside is still there when you look at some of the other metrics in his game.
Yurov was a star defensively, posting 3.7 goals above replacement according to Evolving-Hockey’s metrics. According to Hockey Wilderness’s Tony Abbot, that number ranked 17th among all forwards in their age-21 season since the 2007-08 season and put him in a group that includes Jonathan Towes, Brayden Point, Nicklas Backstrom and Brock Nelson.
While Yurov also needs to get better at finishing plays, he showed signs of a scoring touch with a shooting percentage of 15 percent during the regular season. Among players in their age-21 seasons, Yurov’s shooting percentage is tied for 33rd since the 2007-08 season and while it could be a sign of regression, it also could be a step in the right direction.
The Wild can benefit greatly from a Danila Yurov breakout
As it stands, Yurov is likely to be on the Wild’s opening night roster and could become one of the team’s most interesting players this season. While Puckpedia currently has him listed as the third-line center, he could also be placed on the top line with a strong camp, potentially playing with fellow Russian Kirill Kaprizov.
If the faceoffs continue to be an issue, Yurov could also slide over to the wing where the Wild have lost 150 points from last year’s team. Such a move would be a similar gamble to Maxim Shabanov, who had a similar campaign in his first year coming over from Russia, but Yurov has the benefit of being four years younger as he enters next season.
A potential breakout for Yurov can affect the Wild in two ways. The most immediate is that it raises his stock and makes him a more legitimate piece to a blockbuster trade. But it also could play its way into the Wild’s long-term plans and perhaps give Minnesota the center it’s been looking for.
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