Article: The Wild May Regret Not Playing the Long Game With Marco Rossi

[Tony Abbott]

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[Will D. Ness]

I'm not so sure I would put Rossi up there with Ek, Boldy and Faber.  

The gamble is higher and the payout just isn't as certain.  The tools aren't quite there.

I do think he will get better though and this could be the perfect contract for him to prove it.  

[Citizen Strife]

The issue is what kind of "star" Rossi becomes.  If he improves even more, (70-75+ pt player, or even PPG), Guerin should be doing cartwheels to get him for $9-10m per year.  I don't know why Guerin hasn't been utterly convinced, but Rossi isn't a Boldy level slam dunk star yet.  He's the next step down.

I am just happy they got SOMETHING done.  It gives the team time for three different things:

1. See if Rossi, Yurov, etc is that elusive elite centerman the system has never had.

2. Wait and see if some team is dumb enough to part with theirs, or at least an elite winger.

3. Save money for Kap, plus a Gus extension or huge payday for Buium if he is anywhere close to his hype describes.  Same holds true if any of the prospects somehow explode.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

A few notes from a long article in The Athletic:

Quote

Rossi had no interest in a contract dispute that would keep him from arriving to training camp on time. If you’ve paid attention to his social media, he has bulked up significantly this offseason with countless hours in the gym and climbing the mountains of Austria. He also has been working on his faceoffs, at one point training with recently elected Hall of Famer Joe Thornton.

Quote

Last winter, he rejected a five-year, $25 million extension offer from the Wild, according to league sources. The comparables were centers like Dylan Strome, who signed for five years and $25 million in 2023, and Anton Lundell. who signed for six years and $30 million in 2024.

Quote

As for how this got across the finish line, Guerin indicated Friday that Rossi’s camp re-engaged with them a month ago, with the player showing his willingness to get a deal done.

The GM said he agrees with Rossi’s belief that he’s a top-six player and indicated he appreciates when a player bets on himself.

“I think he’s just scratching the surface,” Guerin said. “And I think this three-year contract gives him a good runway to turn into the player he can eventually become.”

As for Rossi...

Quote

When asked whether he’s happy where things are right now — considering the summer trade rumblings and his desire to be in a top-six role — Rossi said, “100 percent.”

“I’m excited now that a deal is done,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back on the ice with the guys.”

 

[ArizonaWildFan]

Good article, Tony. Glad to see a deal get done. Time will tell if this was good or bad.

Now what are you and your cohorts going to be writing about?

[SkolWild73]

Good article Tony.  I was one of them that was hoping for a longer term deal around 6.5-7, mainly because of what you mentioned in the article, that it could become a bargain in 4 years.  Time will tell, but at least it is done.

[Scalptrash]

He should have gotten 4x$6M, IMO. What he actually got is less valuable than the original 5x5 offer. He gets 4, then 5, then 6. That only favors the Wild as the cap increases each year, but it limits Rossi's purchasing power and investment opportunities. Some of you may laugh, but that extra million up front could make a huge difference when your career only lasts around 15 years.

He'll be making bottom six money this year so they can easily demote him and will be justified. This is exactly what Rossi didn't want. If he can repeat last year's performance, he'll be in the top 20 bargains of the NHL and easily tradeable, which is Billy's ultimate plan.