While previous reports indicated the Canucks and Kraken both had interest in acquiring Wild restricted free agent center Marco Rossi at various points during the offseason, talks have been quiet for weeks now after Minnesota didn’t land the type of offers they wanted. However, with less than a month now until training camp, they’re now restating their interest in acquiring him if “contract talks between Rossi and the Wild reach a point of no return,” a league source told RG’s James Murphy. Neither club has had intensive talks with Minnesota since mid-July at the latest, the source added.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke to Murphy last week and gave a rather cliché non-update on talks with both Rossi and pending UFA superstar Kirill Kaprizov, saying there were “no real updates” on either player. The two sides haven’t had serious contract discussions since June, leaving them with little time to work out a new deal if a trade doesn’t come to fruition in the next few weeks. The latter outcome is undoubtedly the preferred outcome for both sides at this point, given how the summer has transpired, but that’s been difficult too with Rossi’s desire for a lucrative long-term commitment and the Wild’s need for a top-six forward coming the other way to stay competitive.
For those reasons, the Kraken seem like a better match on paper. As Murphy’s piece pointed out, Seattle has a nearly perfect veteran to offer to satiate Minnesota’s particular desires in Jared McCann, who they were reportedly open to moving last month.
McCann has been a staple atop Seattle’s roll-four-lines attack over the last four years as one of the crown jewels of their expansion draft haul. While he’s spent more time on the wing for the Kraken as his career has progressed, he has plenty of experience down the middle and could feasibly be a direct replacement for Rossi on the depth chart to join Joel Eriksson Ek as the Wild’s top-six pivots. The 29-year-old rattled off 61 points in 82 games last season, but that was actually his lowest per-game output since his first year in Seattle. He’s also due to reach unrestricted free agency in 2027.
While Seattle has a multitude of other veteran forwards slated to hit the open market next summer, there’s likely still an appetite from general manager Jason Botterill to better align the age of their forwards on longer-term deals to match their timeline to emerge as perennial playoff contenders – still a year or two away. Rossi, who put up a nearly identical scoring line to McCann last season and is more comfortable down the middle, would be more expensive to sign than McCann’s current $5MM cap hit but is nearly six years younger. Now entering his age-24 season, he’d be giving Seattle his prime in the middle of a cost-certain deal as the cap rises if they reached a long-term commitment out of the gate.
It’s harder to see how the Canucks could put together a competitive offer for Rossi. He would be an offensive improvement over their current young second-line piece, Filip Chytil, but his concussion history means he’s not likely to move the needle for Guerin, especially if McCann is a realistic option.
It’s also worth noting that the Kraken and Wild have already connected on a trade this summer. Seattle picked up center Frédérick Gaudreau in exchange for the 102nd overall pick in this year’s draft, which Minnesota used on skilled but undersized pivot Adam Benák.
Not sure what kind of return Guerin is expecting for a guy they had on the fourth line in the playoffs. They obviously don’t want to pay him. They’re going to have to blink at some point.
Only guy I would want in Minny is the hometown boy. BB
I know you can never have too many centers… but Beniers, Wright, Stephenson amd Gaudreau are already in place. Catton is knocking on the door – though he probably ends up on the wing – and they just drafted O’Brien. I’m not saying they wouldn’t want to add Rossi, but I can see why they don’t feel it’s a deal they need enough to spend McCann for.
I pretty sure Wright would have to be coming back the other way. I’m not sold Wright is ever going to be a superstar b it he’s a talented young center for a talented and slightly more accomplished one.
That’s a deal they’re definitely not doing.
I mean as much as I’m not on the Rossi hype train either I’d sooner take him than Wright…they already have a really good defensively minded center in Beniers. Rossi could hit ppg and though I’m not sold he’ll be a perennial point per game guy he’s most likely going to have a year or two as one whereas Wright I don’t see him being more than 60-65 maybe 70 in a good year. Better defensively but they have Beniers for that.
Wright was one of only two skaters currently on the Kraken to put up more than two points per sixty at five-on-five last season. McCann was the other. He was in a sheltered role, but Seattle has been very deliberate in their approach to bringing him along and I think a lot of folks are jumping the gun on their projections for him… and yes, he’s also already a defensively capable center at 21.
…and he’s on his ELC for two more seasons.
Then they’re not getting Rossi.
Which makes more sense? McMann, the Krakens face of the franchise who’s untouchable according to reports or a kid who’s got upside but thus far is far less established than Rossi and who hasn’t come close to matching Rossi’s production.
One of Beniers, Wright, Catton, or O’Brian HAS to go back in order for Minnesota to consider it.