ST. PAUL, Minn. — The one thing John Hynes has learned coaching the Minnesota Wild since he took over in November 2023 is “everybody’s day to day.”

Therefore, he won’t guess where center Nico Sturm or defenseman Zach Bogosian will fit into the lineup once they’re ready to return within the next couple of weeks, because somebody or a couple of “somebodies” might be hurt by then anyway.

Exhibit A: The Wild’s No. 1 center position.

With Marco Rossi week to week with a lower-body injury, Ryan Hartman’s elevation to the top line between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello lasted a whopping five periods. He’s now considered week to week with a lower-body injury, too, although it’s the type of injury that could have him back the moment he feels he can skate on the ailment.

With Rossi and Hartman now hurt and the Marcus Johansson — Joel Eriksson Ek — Matt Boldy line playing well, rookie Danila Yurov will get his shot between Kaprizov and Zuccarello on Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 21-year-old has scored two goals and one assist in 15 games and has been centering one of the Wild’s best lines in recent games with Yakov Trenin and Marcus Foligno. But with the team in need of a center, Hynes has no choice but to break up that line.

Kaprizov-Yurov-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Foligno-Trenin-Hinostroza
Ohgren-Jones-Pitlick
Sturm-Tarasenko

Brodin-Faber
Middleton-Spurgeon
Buium-Hunt
Bogosian-Jiricek

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 18, 2025

Yurov’s big challenge will be not to simply defer to Kaprizov and Zuccarello and to realize that, as good as he has been defensively, his job is to carry the puck up ice and feel comfortable making plays offensively.

“In all my experiences in the league, I think sometimes when young players do get in with some of the top guys that they defer a little bit,” Hynes said. “With Yurov, I think he’s very good in his own end. I do think he could be a good fit because of his skating, and he can transport the puck a little bit through the neutral zone. In the offensive zone, he’s got to be direct. He’s got to be a guy that’s going to get on the inside, too, when you play with those guys. So, it’s more playing his game that gives him a chance to be successful but not get caught up in trying to force plays to those guys.

“Just if the play’s there, make it. If it’s not or they start wheeling around, we do need somebody on the inside of the ice.”

Trenin, for the first time in his Wild career, will play center on the third line with Foligno and Vinnie Hinostroza. Trenin played center for the Colorado Avalanche before coming to the Wild, and throughout his minor-league hockey life, he said.

“So it’s not new,” Trenin said. “Hynesie really pays attention to faceoff percentage even during games, so if you’re good on dot, they’re gonna play our line more.”

Trenin has been playing his best hockey of the season the past couple of weeks and scored his first goal of the season during Sunday’s overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights.

“As a line, we get chances every game,” the Russian forward said. “Of course, I’d like more chances to go in and have more points, but pretty happy.”

As for Yurov, who is sporting stitches under his blackened right eye courtesy of a recent high-stick by Mason McTavish against the Anaheim Ducks, he’s looking forward to the chance to play with Kaprizov — the Wild star and his Russian countryman — and Zuccarello.

“It’s good for me,” said Yurov, who will only do interviews in English and not with a translator because he wants to learn the language better. “But I want to go for game (Tuesday), win, and to do right things in D-zone, offensive zone. I will try do (what coaches tell me) and focus on team game. I still play in my hockey. Maybe a little bit more combination in offensive zone. I help them, but they help me (with) teamwork. We need to continue win and improve our game for the playoffs.”

Sturm practiced with the Wild for the first time since undergoing back surgery during training camp and hopes to be back in the lineup in the next week or so. He even hopes to be on the Wild’s upcoming trip to Pittsburgh and Winnipeg so he can practice. Bogosian, too, practiced Tuesday for the first time since breaking his foot last month.

Vladimir Tarasenko (lower body) practiced for most of Tuesday’s session but left the ice early. That likely means he’ll miss a third straight game.

The Hurricanes practiced Tuesday at Grand Casino Arena. Defenseman Jalen Chatfield practiced and could return for the first time since sustaining a concussion when checked high by the Wild’s Tyler Pitlick on Nov. 6. Pitlick is expected to play the right side of a fourth line with Liam Ohgren and Ben Jones on Wednesday night, so he may have to answer for that hit after getting kicked out of the game earlier this month.

Pitlick was not suspended for the infraction because the league felt he checked Chatfield through the chest, and the head contact was unavoidable.

#mnwild forward Tyler Pitlick earns the first match penalty of the NHL season for an illegal check to the head of #Canes defender Jalen Chatfield.

Pitlick is automatically suspended pending league review. pic.twitter.com/JMuNedWO6W

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) November 7, 2025