Wild Have Options With Marco Rossi’s Future

Just when most Minnesota Wild fans thought the offseason would be quiet until the start of free agency on July 1st, Marco Rossi’s name appeared on almost every NHL team’s trade board. With the season he had, many Wild fans were surprised to see his name come up as a trade offer, but it had been stated before by Michael Russo of The Athletic on his podcast “Worst Seats in the House” with Anthony Lapanta, that Rossi and his agent were struggling to agree on contract terms with the Wild.  

During Rossi’s exit interview, when asked about staying with the Wild while he said he wasn’t sure if he was staying or going, his tone of voice and body language made it appear he was likely exploring other options than staying. After being put on the fourth line in the postseason, it was obvious he wasn’t happy, and with his hesitation in exit interviews, it’ll be interesting to see what happens. In this article, we’ll look at whether the Wild should go through with trading him or try to sign him, starting with a trade. 

Rossi Needs to be Traded 

While Rossi had a great season, and at first I thought it was crazy to try and trade him, after seeing his expressions at the exit interviews, he wasn’t excited about the chance to stay. It’s never good to have a player on the team who isn’t happy about staying, and if the Wild don’t want to be left empty-handed with Rossi, they need to make a trade. 

He is a restricted free agent, which means if he doesn’t agree to terms with the Wild on a contract before July 1st, he can see offer sheets from other teams. The Wild can choose to match one of those offers and sign Rossi to the same amount, or they can deny the offers, let Rossi sign with another team, and take draft picks in his place. However, that will only happen if the Wild can’t trade him prior to July 1st. 

So, why should the Wild try to trade him instead of taking the draft picks? Because they need players currently and don’t have the time to wait for their draft picks to mature eventually. They have been lucky with a couple of draft picks being NHL-ready pretty much immediately, but that’s pretty rare. The Wild are just a piece or two away from getting past the first round and trying to make a run for it, but that means they need players now, which means trades or free agency, not draft picks. 

Rossi May Be Signed

It’s highly unlikely at this point, but during their exit interviews, general manager Bill Guerin did make it appear he was going to try to sign Rossi. The bigger question is, should they try to keep him? He did dramatically improve over not just this season but the past few. In his first partial season with the Wild, he played in 19 games and had just one point, then he stayed in Minnesota during the offseason to work on his game and came back a new player. He played in all 82 games and registered 40 points. 

This season, he also played in all 82 games but jumped to 60 points recorded, and that included 24 goals. He has continued to improve his game over every season since he joined the NHL, and although he did struggle a little in the postseason, he still registered three points that included two goals on the fourth line. He did things to impact the roster, and it was only his second full season with the Wild. 

His biggest upside out of his scoring touch is also his age; he’s only 23 years old and will be 24 when next season starts. He has a lot of time to keep improving his game, and while things may be a little tense at first with the negotiations, the Wild could make this work if they can swing the money. 

Wild’s Final Decision

After looking at why the Wild should trade Rossi or sign him, it’s time to make an actual decision on what they should do. The chances of signing him don’t look promising and haven’t for a while, so they should make the move to trade him, and not wait for draft picks. They need to get someone who can slot right into the lineup and make a difference, and hopefully, it will be a center. 

Related: Wild Bringing Marcus Johansson Back for Another Year is a Smart Move

A lot of teams have expressed interest in Rossi, and there has to be at least one offer that would entertain Guerin. It’ll be interesting to see what the Wild opt to do when it comes to Rossi, but at least they have a number of options to move forward with.