There was speculation throughout the National Hockey League offseason that the Minnesota Wild would be trading Marco Rossi of Feldkirch, Austria. A restricted free agent, Rossi simply could not come to terms on an extensive long-term contract with Wild management. On Friday a bridge deal was announced as Rossi signed a three-year deal worth $15 million according to TSN.
Negotiations did not go smoothly
Rossi reportedly was seeking a seven-year contract worth $49 million. At one time during negotiations, Wild general manager Bill Guerin stated the Wild would match any offers if Rossi signed with another team as a restricted free agent. The offers never came Rossi’s way according to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic on Friday.
The Wild also offered Rossi a five year deal worth $25 million, but was rejected by Rossi during the offseason. The source for this nugget was Rossi himself according to TSN.
What does the contract look like?
It should be noted that Rossi will not make $5 million per season. He will make $4 million in 2025-26, $5 million in 2026-27, and $6 million in 2027-28.
Is this a win for the Wild?
The Wild were hesitant about giving Rossi a long term deal and it appears they came through as winners. The bottom line is Guerin rolled the dice and won.
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.
Could Rossi be a first line center on the Wild?
There is a possibility that the Wild may not have Joel Eriksson Ek of Karlstad, Sweden for the start of the season because of an abdomen injury that needed surgery. The belief though is that Eriksson Ek will return. One player who recently had surgery and will miss the start of the season is Florida Panthers veteran assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk of Scottsdale, Arizona. Tkachuk had medical procedures done on his sports hernia and adductor muscle according to Ian Casselberry of Yahoo! Sports. The injuries happened in the Four Nations Faceoff in February.
