Hockey

Report: Marco Rossi’s Uncertain Future Sparks NHL Trade Market Buzz

Published: May 28, 2025, 12:00 PM
5 min read
Updated: Jul 22, 2025, 7:13 AM
Fact checked by:
Sergey Demidov
Marco Rossi #23 of the Minnesota Wild

Marco Rossi #23 of the Minnesota Wild (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)

Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi is becoming a prominent name on the NHL trade market. If the 23-year-old center isn’t signed or traded by July 1, there’s a growing belief he’ll receive an offer sheet.

“At this point, based on conversations I’ve had, I really don’t see him back with the Wild,” an NHL executive source told RG.

Rossi is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1. The 5-foot-9, 192-pound pivot is concluding a three-year, $2.59 million ($863,000 AAV) contract. After recording a 40-point (21g, 19a) campaign in 2023-24, Rossi followed up with a productive season this past year, scoring 24 goals and adding 36 assists in 82 regular-season games, and registering one goal and three assists in six playoff appearances.

NHL Draft Combine: A Hub for Trade Talks

This year’s NHL Entry Draft, scheduled for June 27-28 in Los Angeles, will again be decentralized, meaning no teams will send their GMs or hockey operations staff to the actual draft. However, all NHL teams’ hockey operations personnel, including at least the 28 GMs whose clubs aren’t still competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, will be at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo from this Sunday through June 7. This gathering is expected to spark considerable trade discussion.

“There’s going to be a ton of trade chatter in Buffalo, and you may even see some deals get done right after,” another NHL executive told RG. “But even without everyone physically at the draft, there’ll still be plenty of wheeling and dealing that weekend.”

Rossi, who was drafted ninth overall in the decentralized and remote 2020 NHL Draft due to COVID-19, will be a popular name in these trade discussions.

Multiple Teams Showing Interest in Rossi

Based on conversations with numerous NHL sources, the Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Seattle Kraken have all expressed interest in acquiring Rossi.

“For whatever reason—I think maybe he just doesn’t fit the Guerin mold—there doesn’t seem to be a fit there in Minnesota,” another NHL source told RG. “Whatever it is, there’s a market for him right now. I think some teams see him as a real middle-six guy with a lot of upside. He may not be as physical as you’d like, but the skill is there.”

There has been speculation that Rossi could be seeking upwards of $7 million per season on a long-term deal and just north of $5 million per season on a bridge deal. After Minnesota’s playoff elimination by the Vegas Golden Knights, Rossi expressed uncertainty about his future with the Wild.

“I don’t know; we’ll see,” Rossi told reporters last month.

Wild GM Bill Guerin likely won’t delay addressing Rossi’s future, given the looming July 1 deadline.

“I think Billy doesn’t want to let it slide until July 1 when he can’t dictate the terms as much,” the NHL executive added. “He’s probably not coming back, so why let it reach the point of an offer sheet possibility? Usually, the draft creates pressure for deals, and with everyone in person next week, I think that really changes things.”

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NHL Reporter
James Murphy is a veteran sports journalist with 25 years of experience covering the NHL, NCAA and CHL, including two decades on the Boston Bruins beat. His work has appeared on NHL.com, NESN, ESPN Boston and more, and he’s made regular TV and radio appearances on NESN, ESPN, TSN and SiriusXM. A familiar face in the hockey world, Murphy has covered multiple Stanley Cup Finals, NHL drafts and playoffs, and now co-hosts The Eye Test podcast with Pierre McGuire, interviewing top NHL executives, coaches and players. He joined RG in 2024 after stints with Boston Hockey Now and LiveBarn.
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Daria Tuboltseva
Daria Tuboltseva
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Daria Tuboltseva has worked as a sports journalist since 2014 and has specialized in hockey coverage since 2016. She’s reported from some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Olympic Games (Beijing 2022), the FIFA World Cup (2018), the IIHF World Championships (2016–2019, 2021), the IIHF World Junior Championship (2019), and every Gagarin Cup Final since 2017.

Her work has appeared in leading Russian sports outlets like Championat.com and Sport24, as well as on the official websites of the KHL and the Women’s Hockey League (WHL). Daria has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the sport’s most recognized names, including Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Kirill Kaprizov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Igor Shesterkin.

Beyond her writing, Daria brings extensive on-camera experience. She hosted NHL Today on Yandex.Efir and has produced powerful long-form projects such as the documentary Lokomotiv Crash and the series Hockey Country, featuring stars like Ovechkin, Malkin, Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy, and Panarin. Her work has taken her to NHL games across North America and international events like the NHL Global Series in Europe.

In addition to her media career, Daria is a certified integrative nutritionist with a focus on sports nutrition. She works one-on-one with KHL players, helping them optimize performance and recovery through tailored nutrition plans. Her ability to blend media expertise with athlete support gives her a unique presence in the professional hockey world.

Daria publishes in both English and Russian and is the creator of the Telegram channel Coolest Game on Earth, where she shares insights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the hockey world.

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