Red Wings Assistant GM Among 20-Plus Scouts Watching Wild As Danila Yurov Scores

There were plenty of eyes on the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night in Buffalo.

More than 20 scouts and NHL personnel were listed in the press box for the Wild's 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.

Among the names in attendance was one that should catch the attention of Wild fans: Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager Kris Draper.

Considering everything that surrounded Dylan Larkin and the Wild this offseason, Draper's presence is at least noteworthy.

Larkin requested a trade from Detroit following last season, something then-Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman publicly confirmed in June. Larkin, who owns a full no-trade clause, provided Detroit with a short list of teams he would be willing to join, with Minnesota reportedly among his preferred destinations.

The Wild and Red Wings were subsequently linked in trade discussions throughout the offseason, but nothing ultimately materialized.

That makes Draper's presence in Buffalo interesting and particularly interesting on a night when Danila Yurov scored his first goal of the season.

Yurov has been one of the young Wild players whose name has surfaced in speculation surrounding what Minnesota could potentially offer Detroit in a deal for Larkin.

The 22-year-old center is one of Minnesota's most valuable young assets and would make sense as a player Detroit would have interest in if trade conversations were ever revived.

With Draper watching from the press box Tuesday, Yurov gave him a pretty good look.

The former first-round pick opened the scoring at 13:53 of the second period on the power play. Jared Spurgeon found Yurov in the right circle, where he ripped a one-timer past Sabres goaltender Colten Ellis for his first goal of the season.

"I think Yurov and Shabanov are two guys that we need to step up and play well for us," Wild coach John Hynes said after the game. "I think they have."

Yurov finished the night with the goal, two shots and 14:21 of ice time. Minnesota eventually built a 2-0 lead before Buffalo scored twice in the third period and won 3-2 in overtime on Owen Power's goal with 37.4 seconds remaining.

Draper's attendance certainly doesn't mean the Red Wings were specifically scouting Yurov, nor does it mean trade talks between Minnesota and Detroit have restarted.

NHL teams routinely have scouts and executives attend games throughout the league, and Detroit was just one of many organizations represented Tuesday.

Larkin's trade request has not simply disappeared. He reported to Red Wings training camp in September, but said conversations about his future would continue once Detroit's new leadership was in place. He has five years remaining on his contract at an $8.7 million cap hit.

Minnesota was also reportedly one of the destinations Larkin was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join.

So when a high-ranking Red Wings executive shows up to a Wild game, and one of Minnesota's most intriguing young trade assets happens to score, it's difficult not to take notice.

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