According to a new article from Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic, the trade market for the Minnesota Wild’s Marco Rossi may have already come and gone. The two argue that Brock Nelson’s new three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche took Rossi’s best replacement off the table, and any trade involving Rossi would ultimately make the Wild worse off.
The pair of writers gave arguments against nearly every available free agent center, admitting that John Tavares, Sam Bennett, and Claude Giroux want to stay with their respective teams, while Jonathan Toews and Matt Duchene don’t serve as obvious upgrades despite the latter’s friendly past with Wild head coach John Hynes.
Furthermore, on the trade market, teams have preemptively taken top center targets off the table. The Vancouver Canucks no longer feel comfortable moving Elias Pettersson given the status of the rest of the team’s middlemen, the New York Islanders have shared that they are uninterested in moving Bo Horvat or Mathew Barzal, the Vegas Golden Knights feel the same with William Karlsson, and New York Ranger Mika Zibanejad, and Calgary Flame Nazem Kadri have fairly heavy trade protection.
Minnesota’s remaining available avenues have seemingly narrowed over the last few weeks, and the team may take a note out of the Carolina Hurricanes’ playbook moving forward. The Hurricanes were in a similar situation last summer with forward Martin Nečas.
After several failed attempts to trade him last offseason, Carolina signed Nečas to a two-year, $13MM contract, and traded him six months later to the Avalanche in a blockbuster trade for Mikko Rantanen. That would require a major gamble for the Wild, given there’s no guarantee a player of Rantanen’s ability rarely becomes available on the trade market.
Rossi and his representation haven’t shown much interest in a short-term offer either. Reports from earlier in June indicated that Rossi was demanding a seven-year deal from the Wild and wasn’t interested in the team’s offer for a five-year deal.
Unless another center becomes available in the next few weeks, it’s beginning to make little sense for the Wild to part ways with Rossi. As the summer drags on, the odds of him signing a shorter-term pact become likelier, as it outweighs the idea of not starting the season on time, or holding out for much of the season.
Rossi much better off holding out versus taking bad short term offer. The Wild screwed up by asking for too much and will have to go back and accept a first round pick from Vancouver and move on. This is what happens when your hockey leadership is even more pathetic than Danny Briere.
Minnesota has been in trade negotiations with Vancouver? Please share details. What did they ask for that was too much? Thanks.
Rossi is a soft, Smallish, European center, He disappeared in the playoffs, And was playing 4th line minutes, He’s a 3rd line center, That wants top six money.
Wilf = GOAT
I had this as the new wilf handle also. Always love his candor.
‘Most folk heroes started out as criminals’
Love the tribute accounts
Trading Rossi was never going to result in a net positive for Minnesota anyway.
No kidding. He’s young. He’s improved every season, by leaps and bounds. He’s gotten more physical. This is EXACTLY the guy teams ought to want to keep onboard.
I would offer sheet Jack McBain before I’d consider bringing in Rossi.
Wolf
Don’t fret- Canucks are masters at bidding against themselves and overpaying. Judd Brackett will know where the value deal is & wrangle it free from poor Patrick…