The trade market is already circling a few familiar names, and at least two of them sit squarely in the young-player category. Minnesota has reportedly made Danila Yurov available in the kind of package deal that usually means the Wild are still chasing a bigger splash, while Seattle’s Shane Wright and Nashville’s Nicolas Hague have also surfaced in trade chatter.
For Minnesota, the logic is easy to see. Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported yesterday that the Wild “have dangled” 22-year-old Yurov “as part of packages aimed at landing bigger fish.”
That comes after the club’s most significant move of last season, when it acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks, and after years of trying to find a true No. 1 center. With the Hughes trade having thinned out Minnesota’s best trade chips, Yurov stands out as one of the more valuable pieces still in the system.
The 2022 first-rounder has plenty going for him. Yurov is a KHL champion who can line up at center or on the wing, and his first KHL season produced 12 goals and 27 points in 73 games in 2025-26.
This season, he’s already at four goals and five points in 14 games. A year ago, Elite Prospects had him as the No. 2 prospect in the Wild’s system and described him as “a quick, intelligent player with physical bite” who “should be able to carve out success as a middle-six center in the NHL.”
Wright is another young center whose name is getting around. Johnston reported that the 22-year-old Seattle center and 2022 No. 4 overall pick “remains a piece the Kraken might move to address another area of need.”
Wright looked like he was turning a corner in 2024-25, when he put up 19 goals and 44 points and appeared to be settling in as a long-term NHL No. 2 center. Since then, though, his production has dipped to 15 goals and 31 points in 86 games.
He has four points in 12 games this season, and his camp has been looking for a change for a while; TSN’s Darren Dreger reported yesterday that Wright’s “camp has been trying to find a move dating back to last January.”
Nashville’s Nicolas Hague is in the mix too. Johnston said yesterday that “Hague’s name has surfaced in some talks” as the Predators weigh more moves in what he described as year one of the Chris MacFarland era.
Earlier this month, reports indicated Nashville wants to “remake” its defense, and moving Hague would fit that plan. The 27-year-old defenseman carries a $5.5MM cap hit through the 2028-29 season, and next year he’ll have a six-team no-trade list.
In Other News...
Kirill Kaprizov Has The Wild Looking Dangerous Again
Kirill Kaprizov kept the Wild rolling with another big night, helping Minnesota beat the Utah Mammoth 3-1 and extend its win streak to three games. Joel Eriksson Ek and Maxim Shabanov also found the net, while Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 26 shots to help settle things down after Logan Cooley got Utah on the board.
For a team that has been looking more dangerous by the night, this trip offered another useful sign that the attack is starting to click in different ways. Minnesota has been getting production from more than one line, and the combination of timely scoring and steadier goaltending has the Wild in a much better spot as they head home. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Put A Huge Wild Decision In Focus
Quinn Hughes has fit in well since arriving from Vancouver in December, giving the Wild another proven defenseman as they continue to sort out the bigger picture around their blue line. Even so, the contract clock keeps ticking, and Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin made it clear this week that there has not been any fresh extension chatter with Hughes or his agent.
For now, Guerin says his attention is on the teams performance and the standing business of the season, with the contract question to be handled later. That leaves the Wild in a familiar spot with a productive player heading toward a major decision point, and it is one that could become a lot more pressing once the calendar turns toward July. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Blue Line Suddenly Has A Problem Fans Will Feel Fast
The Wild got the result they needed against Utah, rolling to a 3-1 win behind Kirill Kaprizovs 14th goal of the season, but the bigger story was what happened on the back end. Minnesota already had Brock Faber sidelined with an injury, and then Jared Spurgeon went down during the game, leaving the club to patch together its blue line in real time.
Spurgeons exit only sharpens the concern for a team that has relied heavily on its veteran defensemen, especially with Fabers return timeline still unclear. The Wild can point to the win and the continued scoring punch from Kaprizov, but the longer-term picture is much less comfortable if the injuries on defense start piling up. [Read more 🡒]