NHL Draft: 3 Options For New Jersey Devils To Trade Back Into 1st Round

2. Danila Yurov

The Russians are a wild card in this year’s draft. The war in Ukraine has many questioning whether the KHL will easily allow the best players to come to North America to play in the NHL. It hasn’t stopped players from moving just yet, but anything is possible in the future with Russia. That has question marks surrounding the top players from that region.

One that the Devils should circle on their board is Danila Yurov. He’s likely going to be the first Russian forward off the board, but that doesn’t mean he’s going very high. The left-handed shooting right wing has decent size and strength, and he is in a position of need for the Devils.

Yurov has been one of the best players at his position and age group for years. In previous years, he might easily go in the top ten. The issue is his lack of production in the KHL. In 42 career games against men, he has two points. That’s not great, but the second he goes back to the MHL, he dominates. This is a teenager who just needs some development in the right situation. He’s also averaging less than five minutes per game in the pros, so some context is needed here.

Yurov with the right development could become a top-six winger. The Devils would love to have three dominant young lines to put out there every single night. His rankings are all over the place, with some putting him in the top ten and others putting him in the 20s. If he makes it to the 20s, the Devils need to trade up to get him. It would be worth to pair their second-round pick on top of a third and one of their fifths. They could even add a prospect to the deal to make the trade happen.