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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James Murphy
