SPOTLIGHT: Can Danila Yurov’s Elevation RESHAPE Minnesota’s Center Depth for Good? #minnesotawild

SPOTLIGHT: Can Danila Yurov’s Elevation RESHAPE Minnesota’s Center Depth for Good? #minnesotawild

The Minnesota Wild are hoping Danilurov can stick in the top six to improve their overall center depth. There’s another player in the system that I think could improve that depth within the next couple of years in a bigger way. Hey, this is Matt Faldi and you’re listening to Locked on Wild. Hey, this is Marcus Fino and you’re listening to Locked on Wild. You’re Locked on Wild, your daily podcast on the Minnesota Wild, part of the Locked On podcast network. your team every day. Hello, I’m Seth Toppal and welcome to Locked On, part of the Locked On Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. Locked on Wild is your daily Minnesota Wild Podcast. We are your team each and every day and we thank you for making Lockdown Wild your first listen each and every day. as well. Make sure you subscribe on all of your favorite audio platforms. You can also find us on YouTube. Make sure to give us a like and a follow over there as well so you don’t miss out on any new episodes throughout the week. Today’s episode of Locked on Wild is going to feature a lot of discussion on the center position. We’re going to start by taking a look at Danilla Eurovv’s first game in the top six for the Minnesota Wild. We’ll take a look at the state of the center position for the Minnesota Wild. We’ll then talk about other teams that have major center depth and how they built it. And we will finish the show by talking about a player that I think will have a big say in the center depth for the Minnesota Wild. That being Michigan State Center Charlie Strael. My name is Seth Topal, host of Lockdown Wild, credentialed media member, bringing you inside access all season long and we are bringing the center position front and center here on today’s show. We saw Denil Yurov make his debut in the top six against the Carolina Hurricanes and by all accounts passed the test. Now there were ups, there were downs. Passed the test. He factored in on a couple of different goals throughout the night. So, his first multi-point night as an NHL player and um I thought for a first look in that type of a high lever situation, I thought he did just fine. I do find it ironic that there was uh at least a couple of instances because of how pinned in the Wild got in their own zone. We saw Julen Ek get flipped with Danilov for a couple of points during the game just to try to give I guess more of a defensive look with E and Capri off and Zukarelloo. So, Hine’s still not 100% comfortable with having Denil Yurov in those big spots, but the only way you’re going to find out is uh by thrusting him in there and uh and seeing how it works. Because we’re in a situation right now with Ryan Hartman out, with Marco Rossi out, where Yakov Trenion is definitely not a top six player. Ben Jones is definitely not a top six player. So John Hines does not have a choice. He he has to he has to wait into uncomfortable waters to make sure that um the the center position is taken care of. And so Danilov is going to get a lot of looks in those top in those top six roles. Now the Minnesota Wild have been trying to cultivate the center position. and they’ve been trying to accumulate depth at the center position for quite some time. And it has always been an area where it feels like the team and the roster just have not been able to build like other teams do. They’ve always been chasing a center at the top end of the equation. Could Denilov end up becoming a bonafide topline center? That remains to be seen. Uh I I still think he’s got quite a bit of talent on both sides of the puck. We just have to see it play out before we can officially weigh in as to what he is or he isn’t. The Wild are hoping that he is more towards a top six player than a bottom six player so that he can have a say as to that center depth going forward. Uh Juel Erikson, if we are being 100% fully honest with ourselves, is at this point in his career on a fully optimized postseason roster, he is probably a 3C. Marco Rossi, I I think has the talent to be a 2C on a full-fledged playoff team. And I think he has the possibility to work into a topline role uh as he uh works closer and closer to his prime. He’s a similar case to Danilov. We just we haven’t seen we’ve got two full seasons of Marco Rossi at this point. So there’s still time for him to develop and grow and uh continue to work into that spot. He has performed incredibly well in topline situations as has Juel Ericenk in spots. But let’s also keep in mind that there is somewhat of a kind of a curve for different players here. I’m going to try to explain this in a way that makes sense. Because of some of the offensive struggles that Minnesota has had over the last few years, I think there is a tendency for players who are somewhat above average with offense to look really, really good in this system because you just have so many spots on this on this roster that don’t consistently bring offense. So if you do, you immediately get vaulted towards the top of the lineup. Marcus Johansson is a fantastic example of this. He has speed and he is one of about the he’s probably in the top quarter to the top two or three players on the roster as far as speed goes. So, because that’s an area that this roster lacks, his skills vault to the top and his ability to use those compared to other players on the team kind of make the uh kind of make the production look better than it would on other teams. I hope that makes sense. It’s it’s like the the lack of the lack of scoring effect is I guess the best way that I can put it. But it’s kind of the same thing with the center positions. Carill Capri off adds a level of production to every player that he plays with. Carrill earlier in his career, he turned Victor Ras into a serviceable center for a time. It doesn’t take much for Carrill. It just takes somebody willing to play, willing to be part of the group to have success. So, we’ve seen Juel Erikson have good success, and I’m not taking away from what Erikson has accomplished. He’s a good player, but I think his impact is more on the defensive side of the puck than the offensive side. He’s a great netfront guy, which is where a lot of his goals come from. But I think if you turn him loose and let him really go to work on defense, I think that’s where the best of his play is going to come in as a second line center. So then Marco Rossi fits into probably the second line, could be in the first line in a pinch, which leaves an opening at the top of your lineup that the Wild are hoping Danilov can fill. And as far as the rest of the lineup goes, I think in addition to having your centers down the middle, you’ve got to have a little versatility in the lineup, too. The Minnesota Wild have played Ryan Hartman as a center almost exclusively for the last few years. I think if they had the depth at center, optimal deployment for him would probably be on a wing on your third line. But then if somebody gets injured, he has played enough center that you can slot him in as a center to ensure that you don’t have to rely on players like a Ben Jones, for example, to fill one of those spots in the lineup. Yakov Trenan has played center the uh the last couple of games because of the just the depth of the center injuries for this team. He has been mostly used as a wing under his Minnesota Wild tenure. So, you got to have a couple of guys that have some versatility to be able to assist with injuries. So, in reality, you probably need closer to six centers. Four primary and two or three secondary. Uh sometimes you just got to get a little freaky with it. Matt Baldi played a little bit of center. Remember when the Wild were trying to on certain packages use Matt Baldy as a center to try to optimize the playmaking with Carrill and Matt Ziggarelloo. It’s just one of their one of the aces in the deck. But it’s versatility. you you can’t rely on four centers for the course of a season and expect that that those are the only four players that you’re going to have. So, you got to have some organizational versatility to fill in for injuries when they happen. So, the Wilds have the Wild have had far more bottom six centers over their tenure than they have had top six centers. So, this has been a this has been a long chase and the Wild are hoping now that they are getting closer to completing that that quest. Um, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Uh, and we still we still need to get I feel like we need to get like a five to a 10 game sample of Eurovv in a meaningful top six role. And we we don’t need to like we can certainly evaluate on a game by-game basis, but I think you got to get like at least a five or a 10 game sample before you form any sort of opinion as to whether or not he’s able to do it, which is hopefully what’s going to come here because all of the players that are out, Marco Rossi, Ryan Hartman, both have been labeled as weak to weak. Vladimir Terosenko just got put on injured reserve. So he is going to be out for a handful of games at minimum. I believe if I have the numbers correct, injured reserve is fewer than 10 games. Long-term injured reserve is 10 games and 25 days minimum, 24 days minimum uh to be put on long-term injured reserve. So I think the amount minimum for injured reserve is three games and seven days total. So if you play three games in a seven game span or a 7day span, you’re set. But both of those have to both of those conditions have to be met to be put on injured reserve before you can come back off of it. So, we’re looking at at least we’re looking at at least a week minimum for Terasenko. Uh, and then probably closer to five to 10 games for Rossi and Hartman. Let Danilla have them all so we can form an opinion as to where he’s at in his process, how quick of a study he is. I think that’s one of his better characteristics, too, is that he’s a quick learner. So, let him learn. Let him observe. Let him just soak up Carell Capri off knowledge like a sponge because if he can hit, that helps considerably for the Minnesota Wild’s quest to build solid center depth. Now, how do they build solid center depth? Well, we’re going to look at a couple of examples of teams that have done it in different ways. We’ll also talk about the versatility angle as well because both of these teams, the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers, they have center depth versatility as well. So, we’ll take a look at the Florida Panthers and the Dallas Stars and how they have accumulated center depth as we continue today’s episode of Locked Wild after this. Today’s episode of Lock 10 Wild is brought to you by Rouette. Let’s be real, making excuses doesn’t solve anything. We’ve all heard them before. It’s just stress. I’m tired. Or it happens to everyone sometimes. When it comes to performance, sometimes your body just needs a little extra support. And that’s where Rouette comes in. rouette.com offers fast acting doctor prescribed treatment for ED designed to help you stop making excuses and start making moves. Rouette makes it easy to get started. You just connect with a boardcertified doctor 100% online. No awkward waiting rooms or inperson appointments. If prescribed, your treatment ships discreetly straight to your door. So visit rug.com/lockedonhl to get 15% off your first order. That’s rugg.com/lockedonhl. And don’t forget to use our code locked on NHL so they know we sent you. Rouette, stop making excuses and start making moves. Welcome back to today’s edition of Lockdown Wild. We thank you once again for making Lockown Wild your first listen of the day and we thank you for making Lockdown the number one sports podcast network. So accumulating center depth, how does one go about it? Well, let’s start with one of my least favorite teams but favorite center um depth accumulations. We’re talking, of course, about the Dallas Stars because the Dallas Stars have some of the better center depth in the league. Now, there are certainly some uh injuries that they are dealing with at this point, uh which has led to them having to play a little short-handed. But the Dallas Stars in a couple of fell swoops, they drafted um two young centers that they have integrated into their lineup almost seamlessly. That of course being Wyatt Johnston and Rupe Hints. Now, other players that they have on the lineup that can play center if needed. Um, Matt Duchain has played center and wing throughout his career. That was a free agent ad to their lineup. Uh, so you’ve got Johnston and Hints who are drafted. Sam Steel, another player that can play some center. Mostly has played wing for the Stars, but he can give you some of that organizational versatility, the center versatility that we talked about in segment one, having players that play maybe predominantly wing, but can slide to center if needed in a pinch to prevent you from having to rely on AHL guys that should just be in a the AHL. Uh so Sam Steel, another one of the versatile players on that mix. Uh Rodic Foxa, who was with the Stars, then left, then came back as as a bottom six center. Uh and they drafted and developed both Rupe Hints and Wyatt Johnston. Wyatt Johnston started his career on the third line. Now he’s a perennial 30goal scorer. and uh because of some uh the loss of some of their depth from the last couple of seasons uh they have promoted him to a top six role and he’s done just fine. But draft and develop is your number one option as far as accumulating quality center depth and having players that can do both. You don’t have to have a just straight up defensive center. You can have a center that can score and can also play offense. Like it is not illegal to have a player that does both. So the the Stars are a good example of the draft and develop approach. It’s not the only way that you can acquire quality center depth. But the second way is far harder and that is the route that the Florida Panthers have gotten to uh with the center depth that they have now. They are dealing with a ton of injuries at this moment. uh Alexander Barkov, their top center, who was uh he was a draft and develop uh for the Panthers and has turned into one of the he’s turned into one of the premier centers in the league. So that’s your anchor. That’s your anchor of the center position for the Florida Panthers, who also acquired uh Sam Reinhardt in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres. Now, Reinhardt mostly plays wing, but he is capable of sliding into a center position as needed. He can provide you some of that organizational versatility if you really get into a pinch and you need somebody to be able to slot in and take one of those spots. So Reinhardt can give you some of the versatility. Sam Bennett, uh, another center. He’s playing a third line currently, but he is, uh, another player that the, uh, the Panthers added to their, uh, their war chest as far as the, uh, the center position goes. Uh he was initial uh initially drafted by the Calgary Flames but was acquired by the Florida Panthers uh in the 2021 2022 season. So you you can trade for some you can sign some via free agency. The main point being is that the Florida Panthers have gone the route of acquiring most of their center depth. And that’s, you know, that’s not even getting to the players that they have drafted. Anton Lindell was the 12th overall pick in the 2020 draft. He has been a draft and developed player and due to the injury situation right now, he’s playing topline center for the Florida Panthers. Evan Rodriguez was a free agent signing from the Colorado Avalanche. He came over, he initially played wing. Now he’s playing center for the Panthers. Organizational versatility. He’s playing second line wing for the Panthers. But the main point is depth. the Panthers, and I know they’re off to a I know they’re off to a rough start this year. So, this isn’t super helping my point, but the point still stands is that there have been other positions that have been decimated on that roster that have led to them getting off to the start that they have. Um, but they they’ve done both, but they have given up a lot to get those guys in that have led to them being back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. They paid a heavy price as far as prospects and draft picks go to acquire the likes of Sam Reinhardt and to acquire Sam Bennett and also to acquire um Matthew Kachchuck. If you don’t draft and develop players onto your roster, you got to pay a heavy price to go get them. That’s the alternative. That’s the second option for acquiring center depth. Uh, and the Florida Panthers enviable uh, as far as that goes. And that’s one of the other ways that you can do it. So, the Minnesota Wild, you know, you look at their depth right now. Juel Ericen and Marco Rossi were draft and develop guys. Danila Yurov is on that same draft and develop path. But as far as the other centers go, um Ryan Hartman was acquired. Yakov Trenion was signed and you know, I don’t really count Matt Baldi as center versatility. It’s more so like let’s try to Frankenstein this lineup. So, they have gone similar routes to both of those teams, but they obviously have not taken as big of swings as the Florida Panthers have, or they have not had as much success developing as the Dallas Stars have. So, you have to, you know, I I keep saying, everydayers have heard me say this a thousand times. At some point, you can’t band-aid a top six spot in your lineup. And you have to move on from fill-ins and go get yourself a fixture. It’s been a heavy theme for this season so far and for the coverage that we’ve had at Locked on Wild is you got to go get a fixture. You can’t halfmeasure this. Well, a guy that I completely re wrote off when he was drafted is trying like mad to make me eat my words and to scarf down a full pie of Crow. We’ll talk about a guy I said right off the drop of the show that I think could have a bigger impact on the center position than Danila Yurov. We’ll talk about Charlie Stra’s development as we finish today’s episode of Locked on Wild after this. Today’s episode of Locked on Wild is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA is back and there is no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel. the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It helps keep every game exciting, especially when your team is making that late push. My favorite angle to go with in hockey is anytime goal scorers. And Matt Baldy stayed hot with a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes with a short-handed goal. So, I’m going right back to him. My pick for the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow is a Matt Baldy anytime goal. So, that’s your $5 bet. If it hits, you have the chance to win $300 in bonus bets. Right now, FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So, head to fanduel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NFL. Final segment of today’s episode of Locked on Wild. Once again, we thank you for making Lock Wild your first listen each and every day. Uh, once again, make sure to like and subscribe on YouTube so you don’t miss out on any new episodes throughout the week. So, I should probably preface when I said that Charlie Strael could have a bigger impact on the center depth than Danila Yurov will, I was talking literally uh because he is a bigger player than Danilov is. But uh Strael’s off to a fantastic start for Michigan State this year. Through the first 10 games of the season, Strael has five goals, eight assists, 13 points, and is a plus 12 in the 10 games that Michigan State has played so far. I also went and looked and he is currently sitting at 51.9% in the faceoff circle and that includes an opening night game in which he went four, this is not a typo, he went four of 21 from the faceoff circle in the first game of the season. So you take out that knight and he’s probably closer to 53 54% in the circle. But the thing here with Straml is as he continues to fill out he is 6’3 215 right now as a 21-year-old. as he continues to fill out and as he con starts to use that more you are looking at a guy who could be the natural successor to Juel Ericson in the lineup now there will be overlap but there’s nothing to say that Strael could not be the same sort of player that Juel Ericen is now I know there are still a lot of things that Strael uh needs to work on as far as his skill set goes and shooting the puck I think is an area that is just going to be something that he gradually goes grows into. But if he goes from a guy that a lot of people just said, “Yeah, that’s that’s a reach, that’s a project, what is Jud Brackett doing? What are what are the Wild doing here?” If he goes from that to a a middle six center, that is going to have a sizable impact on the center position for the Minnesota Wilds because the if you look at what the Wild are doing right now, so they’re playing they’ve got Rossi and Ek who are who are centers. So they’re actually in the correct spots. I still can I still maintain that Ryan Hartman is more of a wing than a center. You’ve got Danilov. If he pops, you’ve got three good centers right there. If Strael pops, then all of a sudden you’ve got four. And you know, you could alternate entirely depending on matchups. And maybe there would be some nights that you’re looking at Juel Erikson as your third or fourth center. But that’s that is why that is why I think we have seen so many of these players that have popped in this situation. But when you go up against actual like full-fledged playoff teams, they go quiet is because of that depth and sizing up that depth. And if you are yourself playing somebody one spot out of position, you go up against a team like the Florida Panthers who went out and grabbed Brad Marshand who is playing basically topline minutes for the Boston Bruins and then all of a sudden he’s playing third line minutes for the Florida Panthers. That is quality depth. Having players that are playing one spot under where they should is quality depth. That’s a deep roster. That’s a deep team. And that’s what you have to have to navigate through the season to bypass the injuries and to still be standing once all is said and done. There just is no there just is no feasible spot for a player like Ben Jones who is just he is just an AHL guy. And we have seen through the first 35 games of his career, 36 games of his career that the offense just isn’t there. and you can’t afford to have multiple spots in your lineup that are one or the other. The league is is finding ways to get players that are excelling on the offensive end and are simply not hurting you on the defensive end, but they are contributing on both sides of the puck. If you have players that are not giving you anything offensively, there’s no counter punch, there’s no counterattack, you are just constantly trying to keep the other team from scoring and you’re not applying any pressure yourself. We saw that against the Carolina Hurricanes. And look, the Wild played the Wild played very well to start. They got off to a great start. Got off to a two nothing lead. Carolina got it to two to one. And what did the Wild do immediately to start the second period? They counter punched and then it was all downhill from there. The Hurricanes controlled the entirety of the rest of the period. They tie it up in the third. If not for the uh heroic efforts of Yes, for Valstead, that’s probably a different result. But this is why I keep harping on this. This is why we keep bringing this up and keep mentioning this unlocked on wild is that the the Wilds, if they’re going to really go for this, if they’re going to really turn themselves into a bonafide like we are here, this is our Stanley Cup contention window, you have to put on the gloves. You have to give yourself a top six and depth down the middle that is capable of punching the other team in the mouth and then doing it again and again and again and again. So, we’re continuing to identify the root of the problem and trying to find ways that it can be corrected. So, if you want a look at how this team cultivates legitimate center depth, you’ve got to do it either the draft and develop approach or you have to be willing to spend. As far as assets and prospects go, you got to be willing to spend to bring those types of players in. There really is no third option. and the free agent crop for 2026 has already dried up completely. So, it’s one or the other. You can’t And you know, this is why this is why Jesse Pierce and I told Bill Garin, “Go ahead, make a move. We dare you.” Because you can’t be in position knowing that those are your only two options. And if you are not patient enough to let players develop, then you can’t also turn around and say the prices to acquire players for those spots is too expensive. It’s got to be one or the other. And that is going to do it for today’s edition of Lockown Wild. Once again, we thank you for making Lockown Wild your first listen each and every day. Make sure if you have not already to like and subscribe so you don’t miss out on any new episodes throughout the week. We’ve got new episodes for you every Monday through Friday. As part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, we are your team each and every day.

Minnesota Wild accelerate their quest for elite center depth—can Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel finally solve the top-six puzzle? With Marco Rossi and Ryan Hartman sidelined, Yurov’s multi-point night in the top six draws attention, but questions linger about his defensive reliability and long-term ceiling. The conversation weighs whether the Wild are still stuck relying on stopgaps instead of true fixtures down the middle.

Seth Toupal breaks down Minnesota Wild’s center situation, comparing strategies with NHL heavyweights like the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers. Can the Wild replicate a draft-and-develop model, or will big trades be necessary? Key topics include Stramel’s explosive start at Michigan State, organizational versatility with player roles, and the looming need for a roster overhaul. Will Minnesota invest in a true top-line center, or remain a team searching for answers when injuries strike?

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOWild?sid=YouTube

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/ZAB6yyck

Have a Question for the Show or a Topic you want Covered? Email lockedonwild@gmail.com

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

DripDrop – Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to https://dripdrop.com and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL.

Indeed – Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/lockedon right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply.

Gametime – Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

Monarch – Take control of your finances with Monarch. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at https://monarch.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year.

FanDuel – Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#NHL #KirillKaprizov #MinnesotaWild