As the offseason settles in and NHL rosters mostly take shape, a handful of young players are staring at a real opening to level up in 2026-27. Plenty of sophomores have something to prove, but four in particular stand out as prime candidates to make a serious jump.
Danila Yurov is one of the names to watch in Minnesota. The Wild have spent a long time looking for a legitimate No. 2 center, and Yurov may be the answer already sitting in-house.
In 2025-26, he spent a lot of time alongside Kirill Kaprizov and finished with 12 goals and 27 points in 73 games. His hands and overall skill set give him the kind of upside that can fit with players like Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.
The concern is consistency - he had long stretches in his rookie season without recording a point - but the path is there. If he puts it together, he could grow into a major role on a team that sees itself as a Stanley Cup threat.
The Rangers’ situation is murkier, but that can still create opportunity. They’re not built like a contender right now, yet they’re also not headed for a full rebuild.
That makes Gabe Perreault an important piece of the puzzle. The 23rd overall pick in 2023 really took off in the second half of 2025-26, especially after Artemi Panarin was sent packing to the Los Angeles Kings.
Perreault scored 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games, then added 19 points in 23 games during March and April. With time next to Alexis Lafreniere and Mika Zibanejad, the 21-year-old showed the kind of high-end talent that made him such an appealing prospect in the first place.
He looks close to becoming one of the Rangers’ core players as they sort out where they’re headed.
In San Jose, Michael Misa looks like the next young forward ready to move from promising to dangerous. Igor Chernyshov could have filled this spot too, but Misa’s profile is hard to ignore.
The second overall pick in 2025 has the size and skill to become a major NHL force, and he should settle in as the No. 2 center on one of the league’s deepest young rosters. He started slowly last season before gaining confidence as the year went on, and the setup around him matters.
With Macklin Celebrini ahead of him, Misa should see friendlier matchups, strong offensive support, and more room to grow. On a Sharks team packed with young talent, he projects as one of the pillars.
Zayne Parekh gives Calgary a different kind of breakout candidate. The Flames have plenty to sort out, but they do have one clear building block in the 2024 first-round pick.
In 37 games last season, Parekh put up four goals and nine points while flashing the sort of upside that suggests top-pair production is in his range. Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar are out, which helps, but the Flames also gave up a haul to get Simon Nemec, and that could complicate Parekh’s path to top power-play time.
Still, he showed late in the season that he can handle big minutes and finish with eye-catching goals. At 20 years old, even a solid developmental step in 2026-27 would matter a lot for both him and the team.
These four sophomores are tied closely to where their teams are going next. For the Flames and Sharks, their development may shape the future.
For the Wild, Yurov’s rise could help determine whether they’re a real threat or just another team with playoff hopes. And across the league, the NHL’s young offensive talent keeps getting better, with these four positioned to join that next wave.
In Other News...
Michael Misa Faces A Huge Sharks Test In Year Two
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The next step is no longer about easing him in, it is about expanding his game and his responsibility in a lineup that needs top-end talent to keep progressing. Misa is positioned to take on a far larger role this season, and how quickly he settles into it will shape a lot of the Sharks plans as they look to see whether his second year can look more like a breakthrough than a learning curve. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Get An Early Reality Check On Their Playoff Push
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The ranking also arrives in a broader NHL context, with trade chatter and roster questions shaping the outlook for several teams, from Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck speculation to assessments of clubs like Vancouver, Seattle, Calgary, Chicago, Detroit and Toronto. For San Jose, the takeaway is less about a final verdict than the fact that outside eyes are starting to measure the Sharks against the same kind of standard as the leagues more established contenders. [Read more 🡒]
Why Shakir Mukhamadullin's Sharks Exit Still Raises Tough Questions
Shakir Mukhamadullins time with the Sharks came up again in a recent interview, and the former San Jose defenseman sounded appreciative of his relationships in the organization even as he reflected on a stretch that never fully settled in. After being traded to Edmonton, Mukhamadullin quickly put a new deal in place with the Oilers, signing a two-year contract extension that keeps his next big contract decision a few years away as he heads toward restricted free agency in 2028.
What makes his exit linger, though, is that his account pointed to some friction behind the scenes in San Jose and a situation around the injured list that helped complicate the picture. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to sort out young players, roster spots and development timelines, Mukhamadullins departure is another reminder that not every separation is as simple as a trade call on paper. [Read more 🡒]