Article: Marco Rossi Showing He's A Big-Game Player At Worlds

[Tony Abbott]

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[Will D. Ness]

It's a good sign for next season when our young and inexperienced, confidence lacking talent is finding success on the world stage.  One of the biggest problems we faced this last season was our young guys (sans Faber) being intimidated in the big games.

Boldy is also looking good on the PP with that shot.

[Citizen Strife]

Hey look, a young player in a position of historical team weakness who looks like he wants to get better.  TRADE HIM NOW

*said no one but the Wild and its media I guess*

Edited May 20 by Citizen Strife

[FredJohnson]

Marco Rossi Showing He's A Big-Game Player At Worlds
But did he earn the top line minutes? (Snark)

[mnfaninnc]

Forgive me if I don't put a lot of stock in the World Championships, never did. The World Championships are for guys not in the NHL playoffs, or have been eliminated. The intensity is quite different between the 2 things.

That said, suggested beasts like Canada and USA are not playing to the best of their ability. Yes, they represent their nation, but it's another cup they dream about. It's different for the European players who view their national identity differently and take great pride playing for their nation. 

For Rossi, this puts him in an interesting position. He is the team's best player and is being used like it. It's a guy going up against giants, and he's playing well. It's more work for him to develop his FU that he's been asked to do, and it appears that this is getting better. I don't want to trade Rossi, but I would give him up if we got something that made us better.

Quote

Is the front office watching these games? If so, they should be taking notes on what Rossi's doing to will Austria to relevance in a big tournament.

You've got to be kidding me with this, Tony. Of course the FO is watching it, Guerin's in charge of the USA team. He's watching the goalie he signed to the A having a great tournament too. He's watching Goose play well, and Boldy having a nice tournament. He's watching his team Sweden guys too. It's ridiculous to suggest otherwise!

[Burnt Toast]

New York Rangers are looking good this postseason. Interesting how they took a different approach to developing young players ala the “kid line”. I’d think the Wild might want to take a look and see if what they have coming up might benefit from a similar style of development. 

[Pewterschmidt]

4 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

The World Championships are for guys not in the NHL playoffs, or have been eliminated.

Or for guys with big barrel breezers doing toe picks and stick flips.

I'm with MNFan on this one.  Love to hear the good news re: Wild players but this ain't exactly NHL competition.  This is more like the Euro Trash No-Check spritzer league.

[Protec]

Worlds competition and intensity are not even at NHL regular season.

[OldDutchChip]

Well hopefully this will be read by some scouts across NHL and a bidding war will start for the services of Marco. I still say - let him go for the right price. And this tournie may increase his value! Good! May even increased MJs value! 

I won't even say that this tournament has a horrible Team Canada roster, nope i will not!! ......

You got Dubois and Tavares as your two leaders .... yikes You think they (entire team Canada) even practiced together more than once? Unlike Austrian team which likely played with each other (not how you think) for ages. And that type of familiarity and young energy can carry you for a game. Just ask 1980s US team. 😜 haha but true.....

Some more useful (useless?) analysis from me:  Looks like Great Britain plays hockey. Norway scored one more goal vs GBR that Canada (Zuccy!), although also lost (Zuccy!), probably cause Dubois remembered for a day that he is a hockey player. Germany whooped on poor Kazakhstan team and Austria got their behinds whooped by Jaromir i presume (who else plays for Czechs?) All in all - this tournament is a bit worthless if you ask me to make any predictions or analysis off of. I suppose we can overreact and extend Zuccy and take some German players in (might be better than MJ and i kinda like this name "Leonhard  Pfoderl" bring him over) but otherwise, nah - i am still in Trade Marco team.

• Canada vs GBR 4-2 
• Norway vs GBR 5-2
• Denmark vs GBR 4-3
• Canada vs Norway 4-1
• Germany vs Kaz 8-2
• CZE vs AUT 4-0

[TCMooch]

If we trade Rossi then I have no fucking clue what it long term plan is for this team. It will make no sense unless our idiot GM is somehow going to fleece somebody in an extremely lopsided trade but I don’t see that happening

[Imyourhuckleberry]

4 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I'm with MNFan on this one.  Love to hear the good news re: Wild players but this ain't exactly NHL competition.  This is more like the Euro Trash No-Check spritzer league

Still good to see Boldy around the top of the point scorers. At the very least, it should be better prep work for the upcoming season than trying to be the next Happy Gilmore!

[Dango]

1 hour ago, TCMooch said:

If we trade Rossi then I have no fucking clue what it long term plan is for this team. It will make no sense unless our idiot GM is somehow going to fleece somebody in an extremely lopsided trade but I don’t see that happening

I personally dont read into any of that  trade rumor stuff unless there was a legitimate  known reason for it  ,    The Wild need more scoring  soon  priority #1  so  i dont see how trading Rossi accomplishes that .   

[OldDutchChip]

12 hours ago, TCMooch said:

If we trade Rossi then I have no fucking clue what it long term plan is for this team. It will make no sense unless our idiot GM is somehow going to fleece somebody in an extremely lopsided trade but I don’t see that happening

hold the panic button. rossi is ok but not like a tier 1 player (superstar - McD, AM, Kap, Kuch, Mckinnon, Panarin, Pasta). not even tier 2 player (you got your Stones, Eichels, Barkov, Drysalt, Crosby). he is not even tier 3 player (tuch, forsberg, fiala, parise.....i kid).

what are we freaking out about? he got some goals last year. got some fancy 5-5 stats for various reasons - one is the perhaps Kap got the best of other teams D pairing? got some points - 40. not earth-shattering.

my thought - if we trade him for (1) better prospect/player or (2) a player that aligns with Kaps aka Teams vision/desire - then i'm fine w that. i just don't see the big deal about Rossi. he is one of our only valuable (for now) trade pieces that we can use and push this Kap driven train past 2025/26 with or without Rossi. 

Rossi + Heidt + Spurge and 2 future 1sts for that Tkachuk kid and then we roll with

• Line 1 - Yurov Tkachuk Kap
• Line 2 - Boldy Ek Fiala (he will return to us someway)

[mnfaninnc]

11 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

Rossi + Heidt + Spurge and 2 future 1sts for that Tkachuk kid

Here's the thing about Ottawa and why this doesn't work: They've already got far too much money earmarked on their defense. Don't get me wrong, I love Tkachuk and if this is the deal, I'm doing it. 

Ottawa also has to give up a 1st round pick in penalty, so giving them 2 1sts might help the team. I just don't see Spurgeon being the guy, and somewhere I read we can only retain 20% of that contract. 

They've got some exciting offensive upside in their defense with Chabot, Sanderson and Chychrun. However, what they don't really have our defensive guys. Middleton might actually be a better fit than Spurgeon (yet somehow we're going to have to deal with Spurgeon's contract). I could see a Spurgeon/Chychrun pairing being successful, I just can't see how they allocate that much money to their defense. 

 

[mnfaninnc]

CHL update-

All of the finals games have been played. Drummondville won the Q, Moose Jaw the W and London the O. However, there is a 4th, host, team that makes it. This year we get lucky again: The Memorial Cup will be played in .....Saginaw. Hunter Haight will be joining the final series playing for the big cup.

So, we'll be on Parker and Haight watch starting May 24th. Of course London took out Saginaw, but Saginaw gave them a much better series than did Oshawa. Saginaw has been off since May 5th. The other 3 have been off since May 14th, and for the 1st time in CHL history, all 3 championship series were settled in sweep fashion. 

I would expect that the intensity in this tournament is north of that in the Worlds. If I were a betting man, I'd be betting on London to take the Memorial Cup this year.

[OldDutchChip]

6 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Here's the thing about Ottawa and why this doesn't work: They've already got far too much money earmarked on their defense. Don't get me wrong, I love Tkachuk and if this is the deal, I'm doing it. 

Ottawa also has to give up a 1st round pick in penalty, so giving them 2 1sts might help the team. I just don't see Spurgeon being the guy, and somewhere I read we can only retain 20% of that contract. 

They've got some exciting offensive upside in their defense with Chabot, Sanderson and Chychrun. However, what they don't really have our defensive guys. Middleton might actually be a better fit than Spurgeon (yet somehow we're going to have to deal with Spurgeon's contract). I could see a Spurgeon/Chychrun pairing being successful, I just can't see how they allocate that much money to their defense. 

 

it may not work, it probably won't, in fact - i guarantee it will not. but overall - i think wild need to be a bit more aggressive NOW in trying to build for a future, a future - with their superstar and NOT trying to protect ones that are no where near that level. i said it before - do we want a team with unknown prospects (heidt, yurov, rossi, whatever) or one that has a true superstar and building towards that? i'd pick the later - and push all in on Kap.

• I would make 5 untouchables - Kap, EK, Boldy, Fab, Broding
• I would actually keep Foligno and i am fine with Hartman too. 
• Work the phones and have a game plan and identify and reach out to all players: Tkachuk (can't miss trade package), Guentzel (sign), Marchisalt (sign), Nylander (trade), Svechnikov (over-the-top offer w Yurov and Boldy), Forsberg (Preds are done - let's get that mustache over here) - of course i am not pushing for ALL these to work out and they might all be impossible BUT why not at least try? 

[Will D. Ness]

I don't see Ottawa trading Tkachuk without them getting Boldy.  

[mnfaninnc]

2 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

Work the phones and have a game plan and identify and reach out to all players: Tkachuk (can't miss trade package),

I like my offer of Rossi+Boldy+Beckman+Hunt+rights to Petrovsky=Tkachuk+Thomson

Ottawa has the 30th ranked pipeline at this time. They could use some prospects that have matured. Rossi and Boldy both help the big club get to the playoffs. It's a paper overpay, but Tkachuk is a special, special player.

Rumor I read today says that Jarvis has passed Necas on the depth chart and Waddell isn't going to want to pay Necas. Might be a sign and trade deal. I'd be all over that if it is true and probably start with draft compensation. 

I'd like to keep Yurov in the fold, but Heidt/Haight might be some nice pieces. Also, I'd go after Skjei in free agency. We've got nobody on the left side that is providing offense (Chisholm was playing mostly his offside). Skjei+Faber as a pairing would be pretty nice.

[OldDutchChip]

11 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I like my offer of Rossi+Boldy+Beckman+Hunt+rights to Petrovsky=Tkachuk+Thomson

Ottawa has the 30th ranked pipeline at this time. They could use some prospects that have matured. Rossi and Boldy both help the big club get to the playoffs. It's a paper overpay, but Tkachuk is a special, special player.

Rumor I read today says that Jarvis has passed Necas on the depth chart and Waddell isn't going to want to pay Necas. Might be a sign and trade deal. I'd be all over that if it is true and probably start with draft compensation. 

I'd like to keep Yurov in the fold, but Heidt/Haight might be some nice pieces. Also, I'd go after Skjei in free agency. We've got nobody on the left side that is providing offense (Chisholm was playing mostly his offside). Skjei+Faber as a pairing would be pretty nice.

interesting and sound logic

i may additionally pivot to buffalo to explore their desperation level. they are in the east and will likely again not go anywhere. we have some history with trades with them, and that for some reason matters to billy. so i would pitch rossi + something for Tuch. Tuch is on an UNBELIEVABLE contract and if they eat up Spurge too, we can get both Tuch and sign Guentzy, wow wow wow let's imagine

• Line 1 Ek Kap Guentzy
• Line 2 Boldy Tuch Yurov 

[Beast]

Not a fan of trading Rossi, but of course it depends on the return.

I hate the obsession with size over production.  It already cost us big time in the draft.  If we trade Rossi before his prime just for the sake of size, that’s a problem.  Size means nothing without some skill.  Rossi is listed at 5’9” 182.  Jake Guentzel is listed at 5’10” 180.  Brad Marchand 5’9” 176.  Numerous guys have found massive success in the league at his size (his numbers this year are actually very similar to Guentzel’s first 2 seasons in the NHL).

Cap space is tight here, as we know.  His cap hit next year is $863,333.  I don’t see a world where we trade Rossi and get equal or greater production at equal or lesser salary.  Hartman, Foligno, Zucc, and Gustavsson all have $4M cap hits.  The corpse of Fluery and Middleton around $2.5.  Gaudreau and Johansson $2.  Bogosian and Merril $1.2.  Khusnutdinov (roughly the same age Rossi, though not as good a player right now) has a larger cap hit.

There are better ways to tweak this roster than jettisoning a 22 year old center with one of the lowest cap hits on the team who is showing promise at a pretty good 2nd/3rd line center. There’s deadweight with bloated cap hits up and down the roster.

Another impressive note on Rossi (most seem to be focusing on goals and assists).  According to NHL.com as of January 22nd, he was first among rookies in face offs taken, second among rookies in face off wins, win %, and offensive zone wins and neutral zone wins, fourth in defensive zone wins.  He was leading all rookies in penalties drawn.  He was tied for 5th among rookies in take aways.  On goals, he was second among rookies behind Bedard (by 1, but played more games, but averaged 3 minutes less ice time per game). He was tied for second in GWGs.  He did this while playing a lot of 3rd line minutes with the likes of Lucchini and Lettieri.  He’s also a willing defender and picked up a Gordie Howe this year as a rookie.

I think people forget how young he is at times, and that he put the most points per game in the OHL since McDavid.

Hes going to keep improving.  This isn’t the finished product.  I fail to see how trading him away helps this team be better in any way, long-term or short.  He may not be a superstar, but there’s certainly a place for him to be valuable.  It’s extremely foolish to try to trade him for “size.”  Guerin needs to worry about getting the best players and tailoring a system to them.  He needs to let go of this pipe dream of the Broad Street Bullies.  We don’t need a team full of Charlie Stramels (guys selected based on size alone).

[MacGyver]

Beast put it all together. Rossi has shown an absolute willingness and determination to overcome any obstacle, make any sacrifice and do whatever is asked of him to become a better player to the point of being as good as he can possibly be. That alone is a rare thing to find in a player. So many are prima donna's.  We have seen the things he's overcome and the leaps he's made in his development. And yet here he is reading how he is trade bait. This has got to be a complete wtf moment for him. 

Guerin would trade him to Chicago, Dallas or Colorado if he got what he thought was the right deal because as Guerin himself said why limit myself to trades with only half the league? Are all the lets trade Rossi fans confident enough that he's reached his potential to see him next door in a Blackhawk jersey with Bedard and company? 

If he would wind up in our conference much less our division he would be making a very good career out of playing the Wild and I'd enjoy watching him do it.  

[Pewterschmidt]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

Size means nothing without some skill.  Rossi is listed at 5’9” 182.  Jake Guentzel is listed at 5’10” 180.  Brad Marchand 5’9” 176

Skill AND some sandpaper.  Look at Stanky leg with Dallas.  He's about 5'6", but brochismo has "it".  How the hell does Dallas sniff out these guys in the draft?

[Up North Guy]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

Not a fan of trading Rossi, but of course it depends on the return.

I hate the obsession with size over production.  It already cost us big time in the draft.  If we trade Rossi before his prime just for the sake of size, that’s a problem.  Size means nothing without some skill.  Rossi is listed at 5’9” 182.  Jake Guentzel is listed at 5’10” 180.  Brad Marchand 5’9” 176.  Numerous guys have found massive success in the league at his size (his numbers this year are actually very similar to Guentzel’s first 2 seasons in the NHL).

Cap space is tight here, as we know.  His cap hit next year is $863,333.  I don’t see a world where we trade Rossi and get equal or greater production at equal or lesser salary.  Hartman, Foligno, Zucc, and Gustavsson all have $4M cap hits.  The corpse of Fluery and Middleton around $2.5.  Gaudreau and Johansson $2.  Bogosian and Merril $1.2.  Khusnutdinov (roughly the same age Rossi, though not as good a player right now) has a larger cap hit.

There are better ways to tweak this roster than jettisoning a 22 year old center with one of the lowest cap hits on the team who is showing promise at a pretty good 2nd/3rd line center. There’s deadweight with bloated cap hits up and down the roster.

Another impressive note on Rossi (most seem to be focusing on goals and assists).  According to NHL.com as of January 22nd, he was first among rookies in face offs taken, second among rookies in face off wins, win %, and offensive zone wins and neutral zone wins, fourth in defensive zone wins.  He was leading all rookies in penalties drawn.  He was tied for 5th among rookies in take aways.  On goals, he was second among rookies behind Bedard (by 1, but played more games, but averaged 3 minutes less ice time per game). He was tied for second in GWGs.  He did this while playing a lot of 3rd line minutes with the likes of Lucchini and Lettieri.  He’s also a willing defender and picked up a Gordie Howe this year as a rookie.

I think people forget how young he is at times, and that he put the most points per game in the OHL since McDavid.

Hes going to keep improving.  This isn’t the finished product.  I fail to see how trading him away helps this team be better in any way, long-term or short.  He may not be a superstar, but there’s certainly a place for him to be valuable.  It’s extremely foolish to try to trade him for “size.”  Guerin needs to worry about getting the best players and tailoring a system to them.  He needs to let go of this pipe dream of the Broad Street Bullies.  We don’t need a team full of Charlie Stramels (guys selected based on size alone).

well thought out and expressed Beast. Good points all around.

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

On 5/21/2024 at 7:58 AM, OldDutchChip said:

Rossi + Heidt + Spurge and 2 future 1sts for that Tkachuk kid and then we roll with

So throw away most of the exciting up and comers and the possibility of two more years of strong prospects on one dude that has the point equivalent of Boldy? Hard Pass. Why are we so eager to throw away years of prospects + picks.

I think that turns my stomach most is you folks are looking to offload some of our most promising prospects along with current producers on one guy. Lowering our overall talent level even more and pillaging the depth that was so thin last year for one guy that will easily make us the most penalized team for years to come. Our PK is atrocious, and will be even worse without Spurg but you folks want to swing big to have no depth outside our top line and put up penalty mins like they may win a game and expect that will change our fortunes? This seems deluded.

[OldDutchChip]

8 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

So throw away most of the exciting up and comers and the possibility of two more years of strong prospects on one dude that has the point equivalent of Boldy? Hard Pass. Why are we so eager to throw away years of prospects + picks.

I think that turns my stomach most is you folks are looking to offload some of our most promising prospects along with current producers on one guy. Lowering our overall talent level even more and pillaging the depth that was so thin last year for one guy that will easily make us the most penalized team for years to come. Our PK is atrocious, and will be even worse without Spurg but you folks want to swing big to have no depth outside our top line and put up penalty mins like they may win a game and expect that will change our fortunes? This seems deluded.

most exciting up and comers? two years of strong prospects? who? stop over exaggerating  our strong pipeline. they are nothing until proven otherwise. none of them are top 10 draftees, so i'll hold that excitement a bit

if you are holding on to what - ifs and think tkachuk is just like Boldy..... i dunno i guess i am in the opposite camp

tkachuk + kap + ek would be a nightmare for the entire league but ok wait out those priceless prospects