Article: How Does Marco Rossi Build Off His Breakout Season?

[Kalisha Turnipseed]

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[Citizen Strife]

A 50-55 point season or more would hopefully convince Guerin to get that extension going.

[mnfaninnc]

Rossi is a player I'd like to keep. The caveat is if he will bring in a piece or pieces that we do not have in the organization and if we can backfill in house appropriately. 

For me, I'm with CS, 50-55 points is a good goal. But, I'd also like to see improvement in the dot, and improvement in steals. I think Rossi could also contribute effectively to our PK. 

I realize that most people think he's a smaller player due to his height. I don't think he's a smaller player, I think he's a shorter player. If reports are correct, Rossi should enter the season between 195-200, exactly where he should be. As forwards go, this puts him probably in the upper middle of the pack of what we iced last season.

Reach is a little less in a player like this, but a low center of gravity should help bump larger defenders off balance, he should be able to move east-west much quicker than larger players and if he gets inside a larger player, he can protect the puck while blowing out his knees with turns. 

A player like this can be very valuable. Elite edges will contribute to his success. 

I've mentioned before that as far as smaller players go, an NHL roster really can ice 3. Which 3 do we keep? Our problem isn't that Rossi is short, our problem is that the collective roster has been too light and small. It's not 1 player's fault, it's the collection of players. Guys like Gaudreau are still playing in the 170s with little speed. 

Lettieri getting traded, Lucchini moving on were 4th liners that were too light. Trenin at least has bulk, and probably is meaner. Lauko is too. 

So, which 3 do we keep? This is why I thought resigning Zuccarello was a mistake. Both in size and in age, diminishing returns are highly likely even at a discounted rate. I'm not looking at guys who are short in these 3, I'm looking for guys who are below 6' AND below 190. I'd really rather set it below 200 but that doesn't seem to be the way the NHL is trending. 

I think Spurgeon should be one of those guys, even though I'm pessimistic as to how permanent those surgeries were and how he will bounce back. At this point, we've got Rossi listed before camp at 5'9" 190 as our borderline 2nd. Who's the 3rd? Has to be Zuccarello at this time. 

Graeme Clarke- 6' 175

Freddy Gaudreau- 6' 180

Riley Heidt- 5'10" 178

Dino- 5'11" 176

Mikey Milne- 5'11" 185

Sammy Walker- 5'10" 180

Mats Zuccarello- 5'8" 181

Kyle Masters- 6' 177

Jack Peart- 5'11" 186

David Spacek- 6' 174

Jared Spurgeon- 5'9" 166

Some of these measurements are likely previous and not current. But this is what we've got at this point.

 

[mnfaninnc]

In other news: Where has Tony been? Is he still writing here?

[Burnt Toast]

Rossi will keep on improving each year. He’s putting in the work and he’s got the drive. I don’t have any concerns about a sophomore slump. I’m hoping he can develop some consistent chemistry with a couple of players. At this point, with the Wild basically in a rebuild year, ( some might call it a rebound year) I have no idea where he’ll be playing. As far as his height, it’s beyond ridiculous. Very few players bring every element you’re looking for in a team. That’s in every sport. Be grateful for what he’s bringing to the table and pay him accordingly. If he gets a three year bridge deal I’d expect the Wild might regret not locking him up longterm. We shall see. 

[Need4speed99]

I love the points made and agree. I just don't think billy g or Hines will. They are too hung up on size and vets.

[Jakub K.]

Rossi is a gem and a special young player. He's always been a playmaker, but when he was put on a line with - with all due respect to Zuccy - two notoriously bad finishers, he just said screw it, started crashing the net like a 6'3 guy and scored 21 goals as a rookie. Btw, his 19 even strength goals were tied for 2nd (with Boldy) on the team, second only to Kaprizov.

I put quite a lot of stock into Evolving Hockey analytic models. The difference between Rossi's offense and expected offense is quite amusing. He was creating offense for MoJo and Zuccy on quite a high level, but neither of the two were able to finish. I like Rossi with Zuccy, but I'd like to see a shoot-first player on his other wing. If the super line stays intact, it leaves Hartman or Ohgren.

[Fezig]

17 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I realize that most people think he's a smaller player due to his height. I don't think he's a smaller player, I think he's a shorter player. If reports are correct, Rossi should enter the season between 195-200, exactly where he should be. As forwards go, this puts him probably in the upper middle of the pack of what we iced last season.

Reach is a little less in a player like this, but a low center of gravity should help bump larger defenders off balance, he should be able to move east-west much quicker than larger players and if he gets inside a larger player, he can protect the puck while blowing out his knees with turns. 

 

I've been saying the same thing in convo. How strong you are on your skate, mobility, center of gravity all weigh in as well. 

The question shouldn't always be about height. Sometimes the question is "can he play hockey?" So far, this kid is playing hockey.

[mnfaninnc]

7 hours ago, Need4speed99 said:

I just don't think billy g or Hines will.

I have to disagree with this. If Rossi is playing hard, bumping bigger guys off the puck, stealing and still creating offense, I think Hynes will notice. Right now, Guerin is responsible for getting Hynes what he needs to be successful. 

Rossi may have been on the trade block, but really what Guerin was looking for were pieces that we currently didn't have in the organization. This is why we still have Rossi, because nobody came up with an offer giving us those things. Now, it may be that Rossi is still on the block going into next season, but what Guerin needs are an RHS large bodied, canon shot forward, and a large bodied RHS defender with offense. Both need to be young. That is what is missing from the organization.

Guerin's plan would be to backfill the position in house with Heidt and Yurov. The question, then, wouldn't be how good can Rossi be and what did we lose out on? The question would be how good are the piece(s) Rossi could get us? If we don't have them currently in the organization, then we need to acquire them somehow. If you can adequately backfill Rossi's position in house, then you can use Rossi to get what you need. And really, it's not Rossi, it's I can trade X who I can replicate in house for Y which I do not have and it makes the whole team better. 

What if Lambos has a breakout year down in Des Moines? At the same time, what if Buium has an even better year in Denver? For argument's sake, let's say that Chisholm went to the gym and is now 200 lbs. and has improved on last year, especially defensively. What could Declan Chisholm bring in that we currently do not have and we can backfill with Lambos to start? 

One thing we need to remember is that we want, more than anything else, a Stanley Cup here in MN. This is where the logo on the front is more important than the name on the back. We, as fans, have a tendency to fall in love with the names on the back, regardless of how the logo on the front does. I think we need to be laser focused on the logo on the front and figuring out how to win 16 games in the postseason. That will be Guerin's #1 priority. 

[mnfaninnc]

7 hours ago, Jakub K. said:

The difference between Rossi's offense and expected offense is quite amusing. He was creating offense for MoJo and Zuccy on quite a high level, but neither of the two were able to finish.

As we move on, the gap between Rossi and these guys will grow, mainly due to age regression. I have a bad feeling about Zuccarello falling off a cliff with his age. I hope I'm wrong, but 2 year deals at 35+ are such bad risks. They should be 1 year at a time. Now, Zuccarello could retire after the 1st year if things go south, and we'd regain $4m, but he could also pull a Goligoski and collect that extra $4m regardless of performance. 

[mnfaninnc]

21 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

In other news: Where has Tony been? Is he still writing here?

Viper, why the confusion? Tony's last article was on August 29th. Before that he was writing about 5 articles a week. Does it not seem strange that it is now September 17th and we've got crickets from him? 

Maybe to keep from burnout, he takes off a month or so. In his last article, he did not say goodbye to everyone. Or, maybe, like the rest of us, life happens and he needs a break to take care of really important things? 

I don't know, I'm just saying he's missed!

[Up North Guy]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

Viper, why the confusion? Tony's last article was on August 29th. Before that he was writing about 5 articles a week. Does it not seem strange that it is now September 17th and we've got crickets from him? 

Maybe to keep from burnout, he takes off a month or so. In his last article, he did not say goodbye to everyone. Or, maybe, like the rest of us, life happens and he needs a break to take care of really important things? 

I don't know, I'm just saying he's missed!

On the same vein, anyone on here a Star tribune subscriber like me? Sara McLellan (SP?) hasn't written anything in at least three months. I would think this would be the time for the writers to start setting up their story lines for the team leading into training camp. I can't tell from their new (and much worse) on-line version who their writers are anymore. Joe Smith has been doing some writing on the Athletic but mostly crickets from Russo. At least Russo still tweets so we know he is involved.

[Burnt Toast]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

Rossi may have been on the trade block

May have and I’d add high probability he was. That’s BG in win now mode, meaning this year. I totally agree with your overall sentiment about trading players. I have my favorites, and when they get traded I follow them on other teams. The Wild’s success is my main priority. In Rossi’s situation I’d say it’s a mistake to sell on him now, his stock is rising. Sure there’s some risk, I don’t see much. Both Vegas and Florida made big gutsy trades on their way to a SC. The Wild may need to swing big too, but right now they are not close enough. We need more than 1 or 2 pieces. This year will give us a clearer picture. 

[Willy the poor boy]

33 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

On the same vein, anyone on here a Star tribune subscriber like me? Sara McLellan (SP?) hasn't written anything in at least three months. I would think this would be the time for the writers to start setting up their story lines for the team leading into training camp. I can't tell from their new (and much worse) on-line version who their writers are anymore. Joe Smith has been doing some writing on the Athletic but mostly crickets from Russo. At least Russo still tweets so we know he is involved.

Dropped my sub years ago. They're an enemy to the state. And I'm not kidding even a little bit.

[Up North Guy]

3 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Dropped my sub years ago. They're an enemy to the state. And I'm not kidding even a little bit.

Truthfully, I only keep it to read the sports page. I can't stomach 99% of the rest. I am in the process of re-evaluating whether that is even worth it. They just completely redid their e-version layout to make it even worse.

[raithis]

On 9/17/2024 at 1:50 AM, Jakub K. said:

I like Rossi..., but I'd like to see a shoot-first player on his other wing.

He definitely needs someone willing to shoot right away.

Long term, I think Rossi has more success as a winger than at center, but there definitely needs to be someone else on his line who likes to shoot the puck - or at least someone who is willing to go to the net. 

Also, a whole line of short guys is probably not a good idea.  Rossi plays bigger than any of the forwards out there with him.  It would be nice if he had someone at least willing to throw their weight around a little - Hartman and Ohgren aren't bad choices in that regard. 

Johansson and Zuccarello can't all be on the same line with Rossi next season.  Replace one of them (and that's an easy choice) with someone who's going to fight through a forecheck better.  The problem isn't Rossi being too short.  It's how he's being used and who he's given to work with.

[Protec]

NoJo sucks. Ohgren on the wing with Rossi sounds good but where does MN spread their little guys around? Knudi with Trenin, and Rossi with Ogie, leaves Zuccy to smallerize either of those two lines. 

Since Hynes said he'd start 36, 38, and 97 in camp, that could mean a Boldy, Rossi, Ogie line. If you had Knudi, Trenin, and Foligno, that leaves Fred to center Lauko, and some final guy hopefully not NoJo. The depth is pretty okay up front, and this would balance things nicely to have better scoring depth and balance with MN's smaller guys. 

We'll see. Few weeks to go. 

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, Protec said:

Since Hynes said he'd start 36, 38, and 97 in camp, that could mean a Boldy, Rossi, Ogie line. If you had Knudi, Trenin, and Foligno, that leaves Fred to center Lauko, and some final guy hopefully not NoJo.

Protec, I just need to ask, in this plan what happened to #14? Did he have visa trouble getting back into the country? Is he on IR? Did we trade him?

Maybe it's just me, but I'd have to say this is a pretty big oversight 😉