Article: The Mikael Granlund Contract Should Have Ended the Marco Rossi Debate

[ArizonaWildFan]

19 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I don't know that Rossi would have been higher.

Rossi played all 82 games last season and had 24 goals and 36 assists for a total of 60 points and .73 points per game.

Rossi played 21 games between 2/25 and 4/6 when both Kaprizov and Ek were out with injuries (there were other games during the season where one or both were out of the lineup with injuries) scored 4 goals, had 5 assists, 9 total points and .43 points per game.

The other 61 games that Rossi played he had 20 goals, 31 assists, 51 total points and .84 points per game.

Please don't try to get yourself or anyone else to believe that Rossi would not have had higher point totals last season if Kaprizov and Ek would not have missed those 21 games. Stats and facts don't lie. Rossi was a .84 PPG player with one or both Kaprizov and Ek in the lineup and a .43 PPG player without both of them.

Some dumbass or dumbasses are going to make a dumbass reply to this post. Waiting to see who gets crowned the King of Dumbasses.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

19 hours ago, ArizonaWildFan said:

Guerin is quick to say that Ek needs depth help. Guerin was tight-lipped when Rossi stepped in to Ek's role while he was injured, without having Kaprizov's help as well.

After JEE was out for an extended time period(following February 6th), Rossi tallied 14 points(6G, 8A) in 27 games while often playing with Boldy.  He was playing 1C, but he wasn't producing like a 1C or 2C.

Also, we are comparing 2 different players in 2 different roles and 2 different eras.  In the year Granlund hit 69 points as a winger, only 1 player in the entire NHL hit 100 points and that was McDavid at exactly 100. Nobody else reached 90 points that season, and Granlund led his entire team in scoring, so paying him like a top line wing made more sense. Granlund tied for 20th in total points with Ovechkin for that season.

2024-2025, there were 6 players that hit 100+ points, and another 6 who reached 90+ points. Rossi ended the season tied for 81st in points, and his scoring saw a major drop off when the Wild were missing their #1 scorer.

Suggesting that Rossi deserves the same contract because he reached 60 points in this season where league average was 247 goals simply doesn't take into consideration that Granlund had 9 more points in a season where average goals per team were 223.  Scoring today is 10% higher than it was when Granlund outscored Rossi by more than 10% and led the team in scoring. Rossi finished 2nd on the Wild in scoring ONLY because other players were injured.

Remember that 27 game stretch to end the season(February 8th to the end), guess who else tallied 14 points(8G, 6A) in that stretch while NOT regularly playing with Boldy, Frederick Gaudreau!

Also, Boldy had 28 points in that 27 game stretch while Zuccarello and Johansson both tallied 18 points. I like Rossi just fine, but Guerin is doing this correctly. He's not disrespecting Rossi. He's evaluating Rossi as a guy who doesn't currently drive scoring like a top line forward, which is different than what Granlund did back in 2016-2017.

[Will D. Ness]

Just now, ArizonaWildFan said:

Some dumbass or dumbasses are going to make a dumbass reply to this post. Waiting to see who gets crowned the King of Dumbasses.

I so want this crown.  

Rossi's value shouldn't be determined by the value of other players.  I think you have it backwards.  Rossi's drop off when others got hurt actually lowered his value.  It shows he is a beneficiary and not a driver of play.

I think the injuries to KK and Ek actually exposed Rossi as not quite ready for prime time and as it turns out... the league agrees so far.

Potential is still there IMO, but nobody wants to commit to 7x7.

[Quebec1648]

On 7/8/2025 at 10:54 AM, OldDutchChip said:

we shouldn't rush to sign him to 7 or higher LT deal until he proves that he belongs in the top 6. we have leverage on him, and we are using it.

it is also in Rossi's best interest (financially speaking) to bet on himself (if he believes in himself). sign a short term deal - come in and deliver - and it will pay off. 

i think billy is handling this surprisingly well (i was wrong about him), not just Rossi but the team construct part.

i do believe he understands that top 6 needs more physically imposing and skilled players. those are hard to get but he is banking on one being available this TDL. perhaps Tage or Tuch or Brady or Larkin or Pasta or Panarin (not tough but super skill). you have to have flexibility to get them and you'd loose that if you pay up for Rossi now. 

there is also Rossi's replacement - Yurov. i get it that he is an unknown, but it does seem like top 6 is a spot for him sooner or later. So having two undersized players (centers too) added to an already "soft" list of players in the top 6 is just not a good strategy.

so it's simple - Rossi is a good player - but he doesn't fit our Top 6. 

What criteria do you have for deciding if a player is undersized? Yurov is 6'1, which makes him bigger than Rossi by several inches and close to Boldy at 6"2. 

Guerin has been smart to avoid giving Rossi a long term deal at a high price tag, but he has also tanked Rossi`s trade value. Guerin shopped Rossi and got no offers that were any good. 

Given that Yurov is coming soon, where should Rossi play? Will he be playing 3rd or 4th line minutes? I don't see both players being in the top 6 at the same time. If Rossi gets demoted to bottom 6, that doesn't exactly help his trade value.

Rossi can bet on himself by taking a bridge deal, but that assumes he would be playing on the 1st or 2nd line to increase his value. With Guetin constantly bashing him in the media, I don't see Rossi wanting to stay here long term, unless it's a big money extension.