It appears the future of Marco Rossi with the Minnesota Wild may be in serious jeopardy. According to Jeremy Tingly of NHL Trade Rumors, Rossi is seeking a seven-year contract extension worth $49 million, and the Wild do not appear interested in giving it to him. Tingly points out that Wild general manager Bill Guerin has a history of being conservative when it comes to his budget, and that he is hesitant in giving a lot of money to a single player.
What is Rossi’s current contract status?
Rossi of Feldkirch, Austria, is an unsigned restricted free agent. This means the Wild still hold Rossi’s rights. However, the 31 other National Hockey League teams have the opportunity to sign Rossi to a contract. If that happens, then the Wild have seven days to match the contract. If the Wild decide not to match, then they will receive compensation via a draft pick.
Last summer, the St. Louis Blues signed two restricted free agents away from the Edmonton Oilers. They were left winger Dylan Holloway of Calgary, Alberta, and defenseman Philip Broberg of Orebro, Sweden. You could make the argument that the Oilers missed Holloway’s speed and Broberg’s overall defensive capabilities in their six game loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Rossi’s 2024-25 NHL Stats
Rossi had 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 82 games. He was a +3 with 26 penalty minutes, 16 power-play points, three game-winning goals, 136 shots on goal, 464 faceoff wins, 41 blocked shots, 62 hits, 18 takeaways, and 60 giveaways.
Four point game in 2024-25
Rossi had four assists for four points in a 4-0 Wild win over the Carolina Hurricanes on January 4. Rossi set up Mats Zuccarello of Oslo, Norway twice, and Matt Boldy of Milford, Massachusetts, and Joel Eriksson Ek of Karlstad, Sweden one time each.
Where is Rossi currently on the Wild depth chart?
Rossi is currently slated to center the Wild second line alongside wingers Marcus Johansson of Landskrona, Sweden and Zuccarello. It is interesting that all three of these players are European when Minnesota calls itself the State of Hockey. The first line currently consists of Kirill Kaprizov of Novokuznetsk, Russia, Boldy, and Eriksson Ek.
One of the greatest Austrians in NHL history
Rossi has 101 NHL career points. That is the fifth most points all-time among Austrian players. He is behind Thomas Vanek (789), Andre Burakovsky (387), Michael Grabner (276), and Michael Raffl (179).
Update: Rossi signed a three-year deal worth $15 million on August 22 to stay with the Wild.
