Article: Marco Rossi Has To Overcome Everyone Else's Fears

[Tony Abbott]

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[Willy the poor boy]

I liked how Rossi looked in his last call up at the end of the season. Hopefully he can build on that. I'm pretty confident he starts the season in St. Paul, which line he'll be playing on is the big question. 

One of the things I was most excited about when they drafted him was his work ethic and desire to succeed. Sounds like he hasn't lost that. Godspeed young un...

[Protec]

The biggest issue is size. To make it in the NHL as a little guy is the hardest thing to do. It's like 1% of players in the  best ever players. That's why so many teams passed on Rossi, because that precedent is well established.

Guerin is being realistic. Rossi has to win an NHL roster spot. Being a former 1st rounder doesn't mean what some people think it should mean.

 

Jonathan Drouin was another guy taken early in the draft but it never really came together at the NHL level. Pressure, stress, mental-health was part of the issue there. I don't know if that guy even plays hockey anymore. You never know with draft picks how it will go but big North American kids who can skate are the most likely to make it per the numbers and historical record.

[Luke Sims]

Great piece Tony! Beautiful painting of the situation as a whole!

[Luke Sims]

Lots of Pontus Aberg talk recently...

[MNCountryLife]

Rossi has been through a lot.  First and foremost I hope he stays healthy and doesn't have to go through any more heart/chest issues.  I do believe Rossi will earn a full time contract in the NHL.... just not sure where his ceiling is at or if he will do it in MN. 

[MNCountryLife]

From what I can tell on the roster we have a single potential opening for one of the IA crew to earn a spot.  Rossi, Walker and Beckman should all be working their tails off to earn that spot.  Beckman sure seems like the odds on favorite to me based on last season.  But summer has a way of changing things.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

I look forward to seeing what Rossi can do with more NHL minutes, but I'd have dropped him to 5th or 6th in the prospect pool. Could still be a couple years away from being strong enough to really stand out in a positive way.

[vonlonster67]

We've beat the proverbial dead horse to death on the Rossi talk.

It's almost to the point of if he produces, great, if not, he's still young and we have other prospects to fill the void.

I've got nothing against Rossi, but the window is closing. The draft, COVID, myocarditis, our own inadequate line partners for him to "show" and our own conundrum with the salary cap putting more pressure on him to produce has been his wall.

I wish him the best!

[vonlonster67]

4 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

I liked how Rossi looked in his last call up at the end of the season. Hopefully he can build on that. I'm pretty confident he starts the season in St. Paul, which line he'll be playing on is the big question. 

One of the things I was most excited about when they drafted him was his work ethic and desire to succeed. Sounds like he hasn't lost that. Godspeed young un...

WPB, I hope it works for him on the 3rd line.

No pressure with Freddy to help along the way and help protect him. Freddy Hockey does all the little things right and would be a good line mentor for Rossi.

He needs a couple apples to get this weight off his shoulders. I'm thinking Freddy is his wing and not sure Moose is the fix. I'd like to take Duhaime and put him on the 3rd line because of his speed and increased goals last year.

Moose n Maroon as the "bash brothers" with Dewy2 is more appealing.

[Need4speed99]

Great article! 

They really need to give him a legit shot.he was supposed to be a no 1 center, put him on the top line and give him a legit shot. I don't see why they won't atleast try it. They gave a bunch of other guys a shot but not rossi.

A "small ball" line could work. If they have speed and skill and the other lines use there size and grit to push on other teams, there is no reason a kap, rossi, zucc line couldn't be lethal.

Give him a shot, if he fails bring in another prospect. They need to figure out what they have in him.

[UncleWalt]

Rossi is 21 and missed an entire year to myocarditis. That’s the whole story. I’m driving the pro-Rossi bus. Anyone is welcome when they’re ready. 

[Will D. Ness]

Where is a dead horse dammit?  

I've got high hopes for Rossi and want him to get a true test.  Like the consensus around here goes, I'm wanting to see him put on some strength and embrace the attitude needed.  This is it... no more excuses.  

[Beast]

Everyone says Rossi’s obstacle is his size.  That’s not wrong.  His size is a disadvantage.

But, we’ve seen a lot of diminutive players succeed in the NHL.  It’s going to come down to the intangibles.  The fire in his belly.  The competitive edge.

I don’t know much about the guy.  But, I haven’t yet seen anything that’s stood out to me as belly fire.  At this point, I’m not sure he has it.  I’m not expecting much above decent.  I hope I’m wrong because he’s desperately needed.

[vonlonster67]

27 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

Where is a dead horse dammit?  

I've got high hopes for Rossi and want him to get a true test.  Like the consensus around here goes, I'm wanting to see him put on some strength and embrace the attitude needed.  This is it... no more excuses.  

This Rossi talk and debate of is he gonna make it, worth the top 9 pick, is he gonna get a fair chance and succeed "dead horse". You need to earn a fair test, show anything when you do get a chance, no choking. I don't think strength or attitude are the problem. He has all the tools, consistency and execution sre what he needs to do. Another dead horse we've been beating 🙄   Agreed on THIS IS IT!

[Sviginak]

Well hell yeah, maybe BG was a little rough on the kid as Tony mentioned but maybe he hasn’t seen that fire in the belly yet either, and he is trying to bring it out. BG seems to be the sort that has a method to his madness so I would hope that is it. And I’m with ya Walt. No reason not to be on the Rossi bus at this time of the year when we have 8 rookies deserving to join the Show and some low paid older vets coming off poor years that we feel we probably need to keep.  I kid, I kid! (But I did read it here, didn’t I?) 

[Jon]

I really do like the last part that’s written: Anything he feels will help him make the team, he's game for.

That’s my understanding of his entire experience as part of the Minnesota organization. He has willingly taken in tangible coaching and applies it as best he can within his personal context and development. 

Collectively, the talent is there to field a team that can compete with anybody in the league, even be a threat for contenders without actually being a bona fide contender themselves. For me, this will be a season with a close eye on coaching and development more than anything. I don’t care about the wins and losses as much as I want to see the younger players, the future hopefuls of the franchise, being put in positions to improve and succeed. If it is a repeat of last season where meaningful opportunity was nonexistent for players like Beckman and Rossi, I can no longer trust and support the current regime. 

There’s so, so much to be excited for with this organization as it stands. And yet, there is this underlying uneasiness and trepidation I can’t shake until I see what happens.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

The Athletic just released their 2023 list for the Wild's prospect group. - 

Corey Pronman

For some reason Pronman still has Boldy on it, so he's #1. Also includes Faber at #6. If you excluded Boldy, that would move Rossi to #1 on his prospect list.

He has him in front of Wallstedt, Stramel, Yurov, and Khusnutdinov.

They also have Bankier ahead of Ohgren. They have Riley Heidt at #12, just behind Beckman, so he would be #10 if removing Boldy & Faber(guys already cemented on the Wild).

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

9 hours ago, Jon said:

I really do like the last part that’s written: Anything he feels will help him make the team, he's game for.

That’s my understanding of his entire experience as part of the Minnesota organization. He has willingly taken in tangible coaching and applies it as best he can within his personal context and development. 

Collectively, the talent is there to field a team that can compete with anybody in the league, even be a threat for contenders without actually being a bona fide contender themselves. For me, this will be a season with a close eye on coaching and development more than anything. I don’t care about the wins and losses as much as I want to see the younger players, the future hopefuls of the franchise, being put in positions to improve and succeed. If it is a repeat of last season where meaningful opportunity was nonexistent for players like Beckman and Rossi, I can no longer trust and support the current regime. 

There’s so, so much to be excited for with this organization as it stands. And yet, there is this underlying uneasiness and trepidation I can’t shake until I see what happens.

%100 percent this. From what I have seen so far from DE and BG, I'm starting to feel like they give no weight to developing guys. They constantly pick up more journeyman to fill gaps instead of growing them internally or seeing if the prospects can step up. Guerin has said a couple times they get chances when they are ready but him or BG hardly reward good play while they are up for short stints. Beckman looked great in his callups last year and still wasn't considered before they filled the roster. We have at least three guys in the AHL right now knocking at the door, yet we backfill with gritty vets and leave one spot for someone. 

The need for us to give guys a chance will only increase over the next couple years as the deep pipeline starts to come of age and experience. Are we going to leave them buried in the A? Resign liabilities like Moose, Goli and Merrill? Keep Zucc just because of his relationship with Kap? I think this year we will truly see if this team can start living in the present. 

IMHO if you are sticking Rossi on the third line with Moose and Freddy, get ready for third line numbers. 17-21pts on the year. If you put him in that position and expect something more, you need to give him the linemates and tools to do so.

[mnfaninnc]

19 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Could still be a couple years away from being strong enough to really stand out in a positive way.

I think it depends upon the training he did this summer. If his training was strictly endurance oriented, we're in trouble. If he made sure he lifted every day without skips, then we might have something. 

We need an extra gear, we need more aggressive play (I don't mean physical play, but going and getting things without deferring) and he needs to open ice up for himself. The passiveness I saw last season must completely end. His strength should be quick acceleration and change of direction without losing control of the puck.

[mnfaninnc]

18 hours ago, Need4speed99 said:

They really need to give him a legit shot.he was supposed to be a no 1 center, put him on the top line and give him a legit shot. I don't see why they won't atleast try it. They gave a bunch of other guys a shot but not rossi.

And herein lies the rub-preseason play. Since Evason is a don't play everyone in the preseason guy, he doesn't try to put line combinations together at that time. This would be a perfect time to experiment, except Kaprizov will receive not much preseason time, and Zuccarello probably less. 

Climbing the ladder is hard, and I suspect Rossi will not get much of a chance with the top duo unless injuries happen.

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

IMHO if you are sticking Rossi on the third line with Moose and Freddy, get ready for third line numbers. 17-21pts on the year. If you put him in that position and expect something more, you need to give him the linemates and tools to do so.

I would expect 30 points from the 3rd line with Moose and Freddy. But, for Rossi he has steps

1. Claim roster spot
2. Produce in the role he's given
3. Show everyone he should move up in the lineup
4. Get the Opportunity
5. Cash in on the Opportunity
6. Don't give up the place

We don't know the circumstances of when and how the opportunities come, but he's got to have the attitude that if he's elevated, he's not giving any reason for it to be given back. It's quite easy math, be better than the guy you're replacing in every aspect. And it's an easy stat, net goals. 

[Tony Abbott]

2 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

For some reason Pronman still has Boldy on it, so he's #1.

He goes by players Under-23, in order to not artificially lower a team like Ottawa, with Stutzle on the roster, or Anaheim, with Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, etc.

We go by rookie status, only because we think it's more interesting to spotlight players who don't yet have big samples of playing time in the NHL. We've written many times about how good Boldy is, but not as many people know what's up with someone like Daemon Hunt.

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

I would expect 30 points from the 3rd line with Moose and Freddy. But, for Rossi he has steps

1. Claim roster spot
2. Produce in the role he's given
3. Show everyone he should move up in the lineup
4. Get the Opportunity
5. Cash in on the Opportunity
6. Don't give up the place

We don't know the circumstances of when and how the opportunities come, but he's got to have the attitude that if he's elevated, he's not giving any reason for it to be given back. It's quite easy math, be better than the guy you're replacing in every aspect. And it's an easy stat, net goals. 

So you put him on a reduced mins line and expect him to perform like he is playing on the first line? What you expect out of him is the same as Sam Steel, Freddy Hockey and Grizzle did this past year, all of whom got first line minutes. 

It is one thing to expect him to get up to speed, a whole other to expect him to put up points like guys getting first line mins at various points in the season with one of the top players in the game(Kap). You're setting him up for failure before he even steps foot on the ice.

It is easy math. Most coaches will tell you it takes two full years for guys to get up to speed in the NHL. 19 games does not equal 164 games.  It is super easy to sit back and expect a kid @ 21 years old to burst onto the scene as a superstar after losing a year to myocarditis. Expectations and reality are two different things. I want him to succeed too but our definitions for his success are wildly varied. 

[Need4speed99]

Thegoosesarelooses has said several things I really think are big.

Guerin and Evason seemingly unwilling to develope players and give prospects a shot, always opting for a gritty vet.

You can't expect elite production from rossi if you put him on the 3rd line.

Overall I like these debates much better because people in here(more specifically Tony's articles) seem to be more open and don't just go with the "in billy we trust" slogan for every differing opinion.

And mnfaninnc I get what you said about the preseason and very valid points but why not try rossi out during the season and top competition? Is it worse than steel, jost, or freddy?

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Need4speed99
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