The Pressure Is On For Danila Yurov To Develop Quickly

The Quinn Hughes trade has become the biggest story in the NHL since the Minnesota Wild traded for him on December 12. The main thing to focus on is that the Wild acquired a true superstar on the blue line and is gearing up for a real run at Stanley Cup contention this season. 

While seeing Quinn Hughes in a Wild uniform has already produced exhilarating results, a trade of that magnitude is sure to ripple through the roster. As a result, Danila Yurov will likely see a significant change in his role. 

Yurov has had a reasonably successful rookie season, carving out a spot for himself in the Minnesota top-six forward group. While early results have been positive, Yurov is about to face significant pressure to mature rapidly. 

There's a confluence of issues that puts Yurov in a tough spot. However, the most apparent issue is the Wild's lack of center depth, a problem exacerbated by Marco Rossi’s departure.

Rossi was a controversial player during his time in Minnesota. Still, he had 60 points last season, is on pace to do so again, and has developed strong chemistry with the rest of the Wild's top forwards. Losing him without replacing that production is indisputably a hit to the team's forward group.

Without Rossi, the Wild now employs a center group of Joel Eriksson Ek, Danila Yurov, Ryan Hartman, and Nico Sturm. Eriksson Ek is a great top-six center. Hartman and Sturm are impact players but bottom-six players. 

The other issue with the Wild's current center group is that they're all likely finished products. Joel Eriksson Ek is the youngest at 28 years old, while Ryan Hartman is the oldest at 31. They aren't old enough to expect a steep decline, but according to the average NHL aging curve, they're all finished products. Yurov is the only centerman on the Wild's roster who has an upward trajectory.

These two issues mean that Yurov's role has shifted from a middle-six forward who sometimes gets elevated to the top line to a player who will be relied on to produce like a top-six player and improve every single night. That's a lot of pressure to put on a rookie. 

The pressure is even greater considering that Minnesota doesn't really have a path towards remedying the situation. The two easiest ways to bolster center depth are to graduate a prospect through the system or to make a trade. However, neither of those is an option for the Wild in the short term.

First, looking at the Wild's farm system, they don’t have anyone who could make an impact in the next couple of seasons. The team has a few center prospects with potential, but they range from not suited to a top-six role (Charlie Stramel) to far from ready to make an impact at the NHL level (Adam Benak, Riley Heidt, etc.). Some of those prospects could develop into something interesting, but there isn't an easy answer for help in Iowa or the pipeline.

The Wild could also look to add to their center depth via trade. There are some interesting names on the market. According to ESPN's recent trade rumor big board, players like Ryan O'Reilly, Nazem Kadri, Brayden Schenn, and a host of other options should all be on the market. 

Let's take a quick look at what it costs to acquire a top-six center. At last year's trade deadline, the Colorado Avalanche acquired Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders. That trade cost the Avs a top prospect, Calum Ritchie, a conditional first-round pick, a conditional third-round pick, and Oliver Kylington (who the Islanders later traded). 

Assuming the cost is similar this year for an impact center, the Wild don't have the assets to get that kind of trade done. They don't have a first or second-round pick in the 2026 draft. After trading Zeev Buium, Minnesota also doesn't have a prospect of Ritchie's caliber. 

The Wild could go bargain-bin shopping with the picks and prospects they have, but that would likely mean adding another bottom-six center and wouldn't really alleviate any pressure on Yurov. 

With neither a prospect making an impact nor a big-time trade on the horizon, the Wild are going to have to rely on Yurov to shoulder a much bigger role than initially expected, at least for this year. 

While it’s clear that Yurov’s role just got a whole lot more difficult, the better question is whether he can handle it. 

He’s shown a lot of promise this year. Yurov has shown versatility that is valuable to the Wild, with success centering on two units with entirely different functions. Of Wild lines that have played more than 25 minutes this season, Yurov is centering the top two in expected goals percentage.

Kaprizov-Yurov-Tarasenko has been the team’s top line in recent games and is on the ice primarily to drive offense. On the other hand, Foligno-Yurov-Trenin is a shutdown line. It’s impressive that Yurov has succeeded in two completely different roles. 

While it’s nice to see Yurov center two lines that generally win their minutes, he must produce offense to be a top-six forward. In 26 games this season, Yurov has scored three goals and added five assists for eight points. The Wild need him to score more, but some underlying numbers indicate that’s possible.

According to moneypuck.com, Danila Yurov has produced 4.7 expected goals this season. Based on that, he should be scoring a couple more goals than he has. That’s backed up by Yurov’s expected goals per 60 minutes ranking sixth in Minnesota with an expected .91 goals per 60 minutes. 

One of the main drivers of Yurov’s potential offensive growth is that he excels at getting shots from dangerous areas. According to NHL Edge, Yurov has 14 shots from high-danger areas. Given that Yurov only has 39 shots on goal, 14 high-danger shots are a positive result.

Yurov is getting to play with the Wild’s top talent, getting shots from dangerous areas, and he’s already expected to score more than he has already. Therefore, it isn’t difficult to imagine Yurov’s production increasing with more ice time.

He doesn’t need to become a star overnight, but the Quinn Hughes trade has elevated the pressure around his development. Yurov’s encouraging play had previously been a positive sidenote to the team’s season. Now it’s a critical aspect of the Minnesota Wild’s season.

Every year Minnesota employs Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, and Matt Boldy, the team has to be in contention mode. For that to happen, Danila Yurov will have to grow up much faster than initially expected.