Key Takeaways
- The Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken are once again showing interest in unsigned restricted free agent Marco Rossi, sources tell RG.
- Rossi has yet to sign a new deal with the Minnesota Wild as training camp approaches.
- Wild GM Bill Guerin said earlier this month that his team is in a “good spot” despite Rossi and Kirill Kaprizov without new contracts.
Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
According to two different NHL sources, the Vancouver Canucks and the Seattle Kraken recently circled back with the Minnesota Wild to see where they stand in their contract talks with restricted free agent center Marco Rossi.
“Both were in on Rossi leading into and at the NHL Entry Draft, and until probably mid-July, and I’m hearing that they’ve made it clear that if it gets to the point in the next month, where contract talks between Rossi and the Wild reach a point of no return, they want to see what it would take to acquire Rossi,” one of the sources told RG.
As for who the Wild could want in return for the 23-year-old, 5-foot-9, 192-pound Rossi from both teams, neither source could provide specifics on what Wild general manager Bill Guerin may want from the Canucks. But, both suggested a target from the Kraken could be 29-year-old forward Jared McCann, who is entering the fourth season of a five-year, $25 million contract.
“Look, I get the age difference there, and I’d imagine McCann would be part of a package, but when you look at both of the teams and what they’re probably willing to offer in Rossi’s age range, I don’t see a match,” one of the sources told RG.
“I think you make McCann the centerpiece of a package going back to Minnesota. He definitely fits what Guerin wants, and he can play center, too, if they need. The Kraken have a ton of middle-six guys, but how about a 1-2 punch of Beniers and Rossi? So maybe they can find a match.”
The other source noted the connection between Kraken general manager Jason Botterill and Guerin.
“You think about the connection there with [Bill] Guerin and Jason Botterill, and it makes sense that they’re talking,” that source pointed out.
Botterill was the Director of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins when Guerin won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his penultimate season as a player in the NHL in 2008-09. Guerin retired the following season and became a development coach for the Penguins for the next three seasons before becoming their assistant general manager for the next five seasons. Botterill was an Assistant GM for the Penguins until leaving to become the Assistant GM of the Kraken for the 2020-21 season, until this past spring when he was named the Executive VP of Hockey Operations and General Manager of Seattle.
It should also be noted that both Botterill and Guerin worked under the current Canucks President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, and with current Canucks GM Patrik Allvin in Pittsburgh.
Elite Prospects NHL insider Cam Robinson recently suggested that Rossi could follow the path Jeremy Swayman took last September and sit out of training camp until the Wild either meets his contract demands or compromises more. However, in a recent 1-on-1 interview with RG, Bill Guerin seemed cautiously optimistic as the two sides approach their first real pressure point, training camp, and the preseason.
“The talks have been pretty consistent, and I’ve been happy with them.”
Still, though, as the pressure point of training camp gets closer and the threat of Rossi sitting out becomes more realistic, Guerin may want to avoid that distraction for a team poised to be a contender and trade Rossi.
“Yeah, I just don’t see Guerin wanting to deal with that distraction, and if it gets that far, maybe he just parts ways with the kid,” one of the aforementioned sources said.
