NHL Rumors Heat Up: Will the Minnesota Wild Unlock Marco Rossi’s True Potential or Trade Him Away?
When it comes to locking down Marco Rossi with a long-term contract, the Minnesota Wild seem to be steering clear of that deep commitment. It’s a tricky situation — Rossi’s got undeniable skill and the kind of talent any team would drool over, yet his role slipped last season, especially come playoff time, slotting him as a fourth-line center rather than a star. With projected deals floating around seven years at $7.4 million annually, it’s pretty clear the Wild aren’t biting. Instead, the buzz hints at a possible short-term arrangement to keep things flexible — or maybe even a trade if talks hit a wall. The numbers suggest Rossi deserves a hefty raise, but the Wild’s front office appears wary of handing over the kind of term and dollar amount that would really tie their hands. It’ll be fascinating to see if both sides can find common ground or if the offseason drama surrounding Rossi’s future in Minnesota turns into something bigger. Intrigued? Dive deeper right here: LEARN MORE
A long-term deal with the Minnesota Wild is highly unlikely for Marco Rossi
Bleacher Report Youtube: Frank Seravalli on Minnesota Wild restricted free agent Marco Rossi. The Wild don’t appear to want to hand out a long-term deal to Rossi. Can they agree on a short-term deal or do they pull the trigger on a trade?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
So let’s dive in with Marco Rossi. That deal that you see on your screen, seven years times $7.4 million in projection. Not happening. That’s not the type of deal, I don’t think the Minnesota Wild have any interest in signing him to. Which is not all that different than the deal that they signed Matt Boldy to, who has delivered on just about every front.
Marco Rossi was a popular trade candidate. He’s a guy who, obviously, has talent and skill. But he’s an undersized center who fell back in the lineup when push came to shove last season, particularly in the playoffs, way down the lineup as a more or less fourth-line center.
But that’s the tough part about the negotiation. Is his numbers, the point production, would indicate to you that he’s a guy that needs to be paid a significant, significant raise. I just don’t think the Wild are interested in committing at that dollar level for that kind of term.
Maybe on a short term deal, which would obviously suppress that number down quite a bit in AAV, because you’re not buying any UFA years, but still, probably going to be much more expensive than the Minnesota Wild would bargain for, and they’re going to need to have that come to Jesus conversation where they get back on the same page, after his name and so much uncertainty being connected to his name in this offseason, as to what the future for Marco Rossi looked like in Minnesota.
So he’s going to be a certainly motivated player whenever he hits the ice again, likely for the Wild. But where’s that contract going to come in? I could see something like two times six, in that neighborhood. That would make a lot of sense to me, and just kind of kick the can down the road a little bit for the Wild. And also not inhibit them from trading him and also getting him some coin in his pocket in the form of 12 million bucks.
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