By Robert Brent -
The Minnesota Wild seem to have recovered from their early-season struggles, at least for now, but that isn’t stopping people from discussing how Minnesota could improve its roster. Trade talks are running rampant, with Joe Smith and Michael Russo confirming that Bill Guerin is looking to improve the roster.
“If he can trade for a top-six forward, he will try,” they wrote. “In fact, it’s abundantly clear Guerin has been working the phones pretty furiously lately.”
Smith and Russo discussed players the Wild might dangle in trade talks in their most recent Athletic Q&A, with one name in particular standing out: Danila Yurov.
Yurov hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations that made him Hockey Wilderness’ No. 2-ranked prospect leading into the season. Still, there should be significant concern about moving the 21-year-old forward so early in his career.
Yurov Carries Significant Value
The Russian forward has only played 15 games for the Wild. That’s not nearly enough time to make determinations as to whether he can reach the potential he showed when breaking the KHL scoring record for a player under 21 years old.
Yurov possesses NHL size and speed, though neither of these is an elite tool for him. Instead, he’s known for his two-way play.
"Yurov [excels] as a defensive forward through a combination of high-end engagement rate, fantastic defensive stick work, and impressive instincts for reading attackers' intentions and intercepting their passes," EliteProspects wrote regarding Yurov in their top 100 affiliated prospects piece this season.
Yurov’s style means that he has a high floor in the NHL. He shouldn’t ever be a complete liability. Even if the Russian forward never replicates the gaudy scoring numbers he put up in the KHL, he’ll still be a valuable NHLer.
He may be particularly valuable to Minnesota, especially if he can develop as a center. The Wild have struggled for years to find long-term viable options at center, and that’s true once again this year after Marco Rossi’s recent injury exposed their lack of depth up the middle.
Yurov’s promise has especially shown through in recent games as he’s starting to break out of an early-season slump that seemed to affect the whole team. Yurov’s emergence has primarily been the result of his partnership with new line partners Yakov Trenin and Marcus Foligno.
The trio has been one of the driving forces behind Minnesota’s recent hot streak and is the Wild’s second-best line this season by expected goals percentage.
The success of the line has demonstrated Yurov’s ability to complement his teammates well, with John Hynes recognizing his strong play as the unit’s anchor.
“Yurov, I think he complements them (Trenin and Foligno) well because he’s a good skating centerman. I think he can transport the puck up the ice at times,” Hynes said.
“When those two guys get in and bang and crash in the offensive zone, he’s a smart player where, I think, he finds good ice, where when they get puck retrievals in the offensive zone, he’s usually in good spots where they can pop it to him, and then there’s usually a next play.”
Potential Trade Partners Are Out There
While Yurov’s potential and recent performance establish that he has value to the Wild, everything has a price. Zeev Buium is likely the team’s only untouchable prospect, so it’s vital to analyze who the Wild could target and if that’s worth shipping Yurov.
The Wild would likely have interest in a top-six scoring forward, and there are a few names that could be interesting mentioned in Russo and Smith’s recent article on potential trade targets.
Stamkos is a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest goal scorers of his generation. However, he could use a change of scenery after an unsuccessful move to Nashville. He went from scoring 40 goals in his final year in Tampa to only scoring 27 last season. That downward trend has continued this season, with him only potting four goals in 20 games.
Still, there’s a chance he can recover his form. He’s under contract for $8 million a year, and at 35 years old, the prospect of him becoming the player he used to be is a risky bet. Minnesota has already bet on one aging sniper in Vladimir Tarasenko. It wouldn’t be worth risking an asset like Yurov on a trade like this.
Nothing has gone right for Brayden Schenn in St. Louis this season. He only has six points in 19 games. In addition to his lack of production, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong reportedly wanted a first-round pick and more for Schenn at last season’s deadline. The team clearly values him and won’t give him up easily.
Trading a young center like Yurov and potentially having to add even more to the pot for a potentially declining Brayden Schenn is a bad decision.
Kadri, like Schenn, is an aging center who has logged many hard miles on his body. Still, he would be valuable to a Wild team that needs help down the middle. However, his faceoff percentage has plummeted recently (from 52.8% in 2020-21 to 45.6% this year). At 35, his offensive production has also started to decline, with 11 points in 20 games this season.
His $7 million per year contract runs through the end of the 2028-29 season, and he doesn’t offer enough to justify giving up a young, cost-controlled asset who is also a center.
Kyrou is where things may get interesting. He’d be a big fish for the Wild to land and brings some pretty significant scoring upside, hovering around 70 points for four straight seasons. Much like Schenn, the issue with Kyrou is how much the Blues want in return for him.
According to Elliotte Friedman, a potential deal between the Blues and Seattle Kraken involved the main pieces of Kyrou and the eighth-overall pick. A top-10 pick carries a lot of value, so you’d have to expect that any deal with Yurov for Kyrou would have to include significantly more capital. Kyrou is also primarily a winger, so trading a center for him would leave a gaping hole down the middle of the Wild’s depth chart.
Tuch is an intriguing and popular target as a former Wild first-round pick with scoring ability. He’d be a good roster fit, but he’s a winger. The Wild needs a center coming back if they’re going to give up pivots.
There’s also the issue of his next contract. Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic’s Buffalo Sabres beat writer, proposes that a $10 million price tag is realistic for Tuch’s next contract. With significant money already committed to Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, the Wild probably can’t dedicate significant additional cap space for a forward.
The Case for Patience
When you look at what’s out there for the Wild, there are definitely some pieces that would be helpful, but none that make the team a true contender or don’t come with long-term ramifications.
Yurov may not be driving winning for the Wild, but we know he has potential and a fairly high floor as a skilled two-way player. If there’s an amazing deal out there, then nothing should be off the table. Still, it makes sense to hold onto a young, promising cost-controlled center while the team still desperately needs depth down the middle.
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