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I hate beating the Rossi drum, I really do, but Billy is about to make another big mistake. Let's put it into perspective. 24-25: Rossi GP82 G24 A36 P60 +3 Age 23 $6-7M Nelson GP80 G26 A30 P56 +6 Age 33 $7.4M Boeser GP75 G25 A25 P50 -25 Age 28 $8.2M Sam Bennet GP76 G25 A26 P51 -15 Age 28 $7.5M Rossi will continue to improve, the other three will only decline. Rossi is young and a long term contract is much safer and probably cheaper. So what if he isn't a power forward, he could easily replace Zuccy.

Good playoff teams have an abundance of center depth. The Wild don’t even with Rossi. With trade proposals of sending Rossi plus other prospects to land a better, older and more expensive center, we don’t end up with more centers. Yurov might be another center, but who knows if and when that might happen. Plus, we are counting on the other top prospects (Yurov, Wally, Ohgren, Buium) to make the team next year. Trading any of them out with Rossi just creates another lineup hole or holes to fill. And we are already down some picks from GMBG’s moves this year. I think Hartman played very well in the playoffs, but Rossi should’ve been switched with Gaudreau. Freddy is a great teammate, but he shouldn’t be playing above 4th minutes and maybe not at all on a contender. Getting rid of Rossi all but guarantees that Gaudreau will be one of the main centers. I think Hartman is better suited to be a backup/depth center on his line, but again with the Wild’s lack of centers, he has to be one of the main guys. The Wild have been starved for centers and scoring forever, so of course, management wants to get rid of an actual homegrown center with tremendous offseason work ethic who plays two way hockey and scored 60 points in his second season. No where did I say Rossi is more important than Kaprizov, that Rossi is the best ever or that he deserves 8.5M or more per year. The Wild need MORE centers and more offense. Rossi checks both boxes BEFORE playing his third season.

I was very worried about how this team would look after their end of the season trickle into the playoffs. In all honesty, I was happy that they looked like a playoff team in this series and actually had a chance to get passed the first round. I was relieved that they didn't embarrass themselves, they showed up to play. I think fatigue caught up with Kaprizov in latter part of the series, which may be a result of being injured for half the season. Same could be said about Ek. I really think this team isn't that far from being a contender. Zeev will look better after 10 to 20 NHL games and I suspect Jiricek will be very interesting if his skating improves. Ogren played well in Iowa and should be ready to contribute next year. Yurov should be in the mix as well. I hope they can pick up a top 6 talent with size this summer, but I'm not overly excited about the free agent class. We might have to get creative to find what we need. This summer could get interesting.

The way I see it is that a lot of these moves can be attributed to the cap penalties, a mostly empty prospect pool, and slow development since then. Hell, the slow development might even be partially due to the empty prospect pool if progression of one's peers helps foster better development in a player by challenging them to be better too. The article says we've only brought in older players, preventing the ascension of younger players while also citing a number of other younger players that didn't work out. Younger players have gotten chances. It's not just Addison and Khusnutdinov that received playing time. Players like Hunt, Walker, Beckman, Raska, and others were given chances and never showed that they belonged up in the NHL. It's not like prospects aren't getting chances. Even Rossi was given multiple chances before he got to the point where he showed he could be a successful everyday NHLer. As far as signing older, veteran players. It's typically cheaper to sign an aging vet in the latter part of his hockey career than it is to get one in his prime. We didn't have the cap space or the depth to go after those players. It's also harder to get those players still in their primed when they know that your team has huge cap penalties against it. The odds are stacked against you and they know it. What will be really telling is if this trend changes now that the cap penalties are mostly gone. With several prospects poised to make the team next year, there will already be a shift towards youth. With the cap penalties gone and showing that we can be a dangerous team, maybe there will be interest from more than just aging players who generally have some ties to Minnesota will be more interested in joining the team as a result. If this off-season Guerin gives a 6yr deal to Nelson and trades Rossi for some player in their lower 30s who is already at their ceiling, then maybe this article is on to something. Until then, I think there are enough other factors that it's premature to come to that judgment.

Guerin has a tendency to play fast and loose with trades. But the Wild as constructed are pretty much lacking these things. 1) 2nd/3rd line offense 2) Offensive minded defensemen 3) Overall team size and/or speed 4) PP/PK success 5) Winning a fucking faceoff A lot of this is personnel related. You have to remember the Wild were very successful with Hynes's system, but a lot of players are still people picked by Fletcher or Fenton. How long would we be waiting on prospects if the Wild went a full teardown? Would Kaprizov want to stay around? Gus, the top forward line, and the top 4 D are hard as hell to beat 5on5. They have a "superstar" and a couple "stars" that showed up in crunch time. The issue is their floor is way more leaky than we think it is. Nyquist didn't work, sure. But neither did Khusnutdinov or Lauko. Addison was as effective as a wet dish rag. Bogo was an immediate upgrade on the cheap. It isn't about "veterans bad, prospects good.". If a player isn't a fit, they aren't a fit. How many times have people tried to write off Zuccarello and Spurgeon, yet they remain top 5 in team offense? Gaudreau, Foligno, and Hartman were all pretty clutch most of the season to even stay ahead of the injuries or score against Vegas. I won't write Guerin off just because one center may or may not stay with the team. A Rossi trade may be beneficial, or blow up in his face. My issue is if he somehow keeps Nyquist, Mojo, Merrill, Chisholm, etc, when it is obvious the 10-30 pt players need to go and 40-60 PT players need to be the new floor. If Rossi translates to a similar productive player or somehow part of a 1st line guy, no one will bat an eye. Rossi sold for middle sixers and picks is the problem.

No, if the Wild trade Rossi, it will be a for an established goal scoring forward, not a minor league defenseman.

Unless it turns out Rossi was injured pretty bad he’s going to be traded. I’m concerned about getting equal value back. Wouldn’t management have wanted to inflate his value if a trade is in the future? Very strange dynamic/vibe coming from the team on Rossi. If it’s just a money thing then we’re going to find out when his agent inks his next contract. Rossi exceeded my expectations for both the regular season and the playoffs. Get him on a decent power play and he is going to be a point per game guy.

Man Tony, I agree with us building the team like Dallas, but can’t for the life of me shake the Norm Green move to Dallas and the cup win a few years later. Plus the Cowboys Hail Mary win over the Vikings makes me hate all things Dallas. Edmonton is my hope.

One of the biggest failings from the team last year was lack of offense from Bogo, Merrill, and Chisholm. Playing mistake free or at least risk avoidant hockey is nice, but it comes at a price. What I saw out of Jiricek's limited minutes was a guy trying to be more than a "warm body.". Even at a young age, he was better than his defensive partner Dermott, who was the definition of waiver wire pickup. Chisholm also made far too many mistakes late in the season to trust him over giving Buium and Jiricek the nod. Something has to give. I don't think it is either Brodin nor Spurgeon just yet. Reminder, Suter holds the season record for Wild points by a defenseman (49). Bogo, Merrill, and Chisholm together accounted for 30-35. Lane Hutson of the Canadiens by HIMSELF in a rookie year got 60-65... If Buium and Jiricek together come anywhere close to Hutson's offensive impact, the Wild blueline suddenly feels a lot more dangerous.

I'm still rooting for the Wild. I realize my chances aren't good. Don't care. Lol

Nice article, Tony, and some really good comparisons to what the Wild could become. No problem seeing the Stars win it all and watching Granlund, Dumba and Oerttinger celebrate. Modano, too, probably. For me there's just something sentimental about the Oilers and the Cup finding its way back to our friendly neighbors to the north. I'm in my 60's and loved watching Edmonton in their hay day. Nothing against the other three remaining teams, but it would be nice to see the Cup where there is snow and ice and cold.

Everything hinges on what other teams do with those players. Sign them up, and they are off the table to begin with. As long as Guerin says Nyquist, Mojo, Brazeau, and others are just plain gone, I am willing to see some chips fall.

Granlund with a hat trick. Interesting since he isn’t mean, tall, and/or heavy. His coach and GM must be stupid for not restricting his minutes by placing him on the 4th line to unlock 4th line players potential or to drive down his value if he doesn’t fit the team’s plans for next year. Oh wait … maybe they are interested in scoring more goals and playing their most skilled players more to do just that and win multiple series. Again, I think GMBG will trade Rossi away. In another classic Billy move, he and Hynes decreased his trade value by having him play 4th line in the playoffs and telegraphing that he wants him gone. I am sure he will get fair value of an older vet that will want the same or more money with too long of term and clauses. If the Wild need more size and grit in the top 6, why was Nyquist played in the top 6 with Zuccy and Gaudreau? Gaudreau wasn’t protecting either of his wingers. This inconsistent and circular argument depending on what player is discussed is ludicrous. But what do I know, Yurov who is more slightly built than Rossi should be able to immediately slot in and be better than Rossi. It isn’t like Yurov has had any injuries the last two years and it isn’t like Rossi has played every single game the last two years. Height was also a magical saving rookie. (Heavy sarcasm for this entire paragraph). Trade rumors have other teams interested in Rossi, but avoiding offer sheets and likely lowballing the Wild since it is no secret the team doesn’t want him.

The mind numbing stupidity of Bill Guerin and many Wild fans is further illustrated when you realize that Danila Yurov is actually 6-8 pounds LIGHTER than Marco Rossi. The ability to fixate on size DESPITE production really, really reflects poorly on Guerin. Hopefully he gets fired before he makes a franchise altering mistake.

Rossi for 7.5m, especially on a bridge. A long term deal or higher money would give me pause. If Nelson wants say $5.5-6m for short term, then that's something worth considering. The issue for all of this is what if Boeser and Nelson are kinda Parise/Sutering things and coming as a package deal, but taking less to do it? I still think I'd go Ehlers and Bennet over Boeser/Nelson if the money is equivalent. Moreso just to stick it to the Jets. The issue with the team is 2nd line depth scoring (of people at 50-70 pt value), and 3rd line defense/offense from the blueline in general. Increasing overall team speed wouldn't be the worst thing either.

Rossi on the first or second line...

Given the investments in defense recently, Middleton as a top 4 defender doesn't seem to be Guerin's long-term vision. Middleton as a 3rd pairing defender seems just fine. Hopefully developments from Buium and Jiricek will be substantial this summer and Middleton could end up as a 3rd pairing defenseman when the Wild head into 2026, assuming he's still around.

duuuude i thought i wrote this!

Kap signs a long term deal, and no one will care about anything that happened before. If he doesn't, Guerin is fired on the spot. Rossi doesn't matter, Nyquist doesn't matter, Hartman/Foligno/Zucc don't matter. All that matters is if July 1st, Kap wakes up and says yes to staying put. But tell me again about Hartman and Foligno were "aging declining players" not worth the money that didn't help in the playoffs. Coulda fooled me. Nyquist was one. Unless Guerin does something REALLY odd like re-signing Mojo and Nyquist...I don't really think one player being on the outs is going to change the team like signing Kaprizov will. Now watch ODC somehow think I'm agreeing with him for once. Just the thought makes me ill.

I agree with you bud. It amazes me how a portion of our fanbase has been complaining about needing centers. Then we get one and they want him gone after two years. Rossi is 23 and improved year over year. The lack of patience that some have with our young prospects is crazy. Heck, earlier this year there were a few that wanted Boldy gone. No idea what will happen with Rossi. As long as the contract is good, I hope he is here. I guess we will get our answer in a couple of months.

I am not as harsh on Rossi as some. And no, I don’t think he deserves 8.5M or more a year. I do agree that he had a better first playoffs than other current good players (JEE and Boldy). I think it was about half way through the 3rd period in Game 3 where the camera was focused on the Wild bench. I am not an expert lip reader and there was obviously no audio, but Foligno leaned over to Rossi and appeared to say “hang in there” and gave him a fist bump on the shoulder. Immediately after, Gaudreau leaned over to Rossi and appeared to ask “how does it feel” with Rossi replying “it’s okay”. My point is injuries and necessary surgery information will start to trickle out now. Maybe Rossi was completely healthy, but I don’t think he was. And yes, I understand that lots of players are dealing with something in the playoffs. I have said something similar before, but the best teams usually have an abundance of centers with multiple on several lines. This helps tremendously with being able to “cheat” on faceoffs as well as having players that are sound two way and 200 foot players. I think it will be a mistake to get rid of Rossi. He is a dedicated player, just look at his last two off seasons and year over year improvement. Since the Wild are always starved for center depth, I am hoping they will start to accumulate centers. Trading Rossi and other top prospects for an older and more expensive center won’t help us in the long run with building out our center depth, but seems to be the way GMBG is leaning. Trading Rossi and other top prospects for an older and more expensive winger seems foolish to me, so GMBG will probably do exactly that. No where in this post did I say Rossi is the best, is more important than Kaprizov or should be paid 8.5M or more a year.

I think he'd look good in a Blackhawks sweater. But knowing Billy he will deal him to his good friends the Pittsburgh Penguins for 3 used pucks and the office chair Billy used to have there because Billy really liked that chair.

The Rossi trade is going to be quite defining. The buyouts are pretty much over so if BG has a vision that might be more than a number of soundbites given to the press over the years, it should be starting to take shape. Hopefully it's not all just bluster and there is an insight and design beyond "grit". He pretends to be a simple guy, so maybe his moves this summer will reveal if he is just a simple guy saying "Hulk smash" or if he might be playing possum and really does have a strategy to win a cup?

Its hard to separate the noise from the facts with BG's tenure. The Rossi situation will provide clarity. Deal Rossi(plus something) for a bonafide top line guy? Great. Deal Rossi for less than that? Hopefully ownership steps in and fires Guerin before he does something that stupid. Based on the allegations of abusive behavior from 2023 and his embarrassing conduct with Rossi, I think BG is an egomaniac who should probably be canned BEFORE he hurts the team more significantly. Hopefully I'm wrong but we ALL know what hockey culture is like and BG absolutely fits the mold.

I don’t know what is happening in the Wild's front office or Guerin’s plans, but I hope I am wrong. If Guerin can turn the Wild into the team we have seen flashes of, I will support his vision. This, this I believe is the exact problem. What IS the plan? I gave a pass to Billy due to cap constraints, empty prospect pool, draft pick issues. He, in my opinion has done fine during his time so far, been competitive in these seasons. That time is done, put up or shut up. That starts this off season. If they don't like Rossi, and want him gone, they must get something to offset him in return. If they do then nobody will care, if it falls flat, the pitchforks will be out. For example, Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers along with a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2025 in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt, MacKenzie Weegar and a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2025. These were not little names for the Panthers to let go of, the Wild need to do the same. I think Kap, Boldy, Ek, Zeev, Jiricek, Faber, Yurov, the Wall, and Gus are the only untouchables outside of NMC/NTC. We might not like moves made but if it gets the team where they need to be then who will care? It would be awesome to be privy to the plan in place but unfortunately we are stuck waiting and speculating. Other teams will most likely not be giving up their top players, especially center. If they do, it will cost a mint. I hope all fans hope he knows what he's doing, want nothing more than him to bring a cup to Minnesota but if improvements are not shown in short order, then it will be time to cut bait and find a new GM.

khuz is playing NHL minutes, Rossi has put up seasons of 40 and 60 pts, Ohgren has a really good shot to make the team next year which is a pretty regular development period. Outside of Lambos, the rest were picked out of the first round. Only 74% of players picked in the first round go on to play over 100 games. That drops to 34% in the second round. If Wallstedt has a good offseason that will be all our first round picks outside Lambos playing NHL games from 2020 when Brackett arrived to 2022 as those kids are just outgrowing junoirs now. In fact if Yurov and Wallstedt stick we will be 4/5. Over average. Considering we have a second and a third rounder playing NHL games Brackett has done his job. Many of these youngins are just about to get their first taste at an NHL level. I suggest we let them play before bringing out the bust stamp.

Rossi is good enough to be a top six player on most teams. That means he is expendable because we don't like his size even though we picked him knowing his size. We "fixed" the Rossi "problem" by drafting Stramel, who may or may not turn out to be as good as Rossi. I think the Wild should only trade Rossi if they can get equal scoring production because, and I don't know if anyone has heard this, we can't score goals. We are currently trying to "grit" our way to victories with one goal per game while the rest of the league is lighting the lamp. It is like we are playing Jaques hockey 25 years into the franchise. The last 15 games of playoff hockey, 2 goals won the game twice and the rest had 3 to 5 goals scored by the winner. We would have lost all 13 out of 15 of those games.

And here we go again. Marco small and average, Nelson big and fast. I feel like one of those underpants gnomes in South Park. Step 1: Get rid of asset. Step 2: ??? Step 3: Profit? I'm still more hopeful the Wild go after Ehlers or Peterka. They need to solve winger depth behind Kap and Boldy too. Marner's a pipedream. Same money offer everywhere, and he'd come HERE? Not gonna buy it.

Middleton's issues are pronounced, but I think there's something more at play that could counteract it: offense from the blueline. Getting Buium a taste was one thing. But he has to do what everyone except Spurgeon seems to fail at: provide way more offense. Spurgeon, Faber, Brodin, and Middleton aren't great offensive threats. The bottom depth even less so. That was something Middleton did pre-injury and Spurgeon kept up pretty well. But even Faber wasn't what you'd call an offensive presence. The Wild only really have Kap, Boldy, and (for now) Rossi as offensive guys. Foligno and Hartman did that in the playoffs. But I don't think any team is "scared" to let the Wild roam around. The better teams can counterract the mistakes they'd make by just going, "You just keep on peppering the goalie. We're not scared of you. We'll just run and gun right past you and score anyway." I believe this to be personnel rather than a Hynes philosophy. Evason played with more reckless abandon, but that came with it's own risks. The team by and large doesn't have the offense yet to just shrug off any mistakes or scare other teams into avoiding said risks. I'm not saying that's why Middleton struggled. I'm just hoping that by getting some better offensive balance, it won't be SUCH a burden on playing perfect defense or goaltending. Nobody's perfect.

Based on my expertise (being fat), the No. 1 thing to know about fat guys is how they all play 27 minutes a night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This is a classic example of why I'm convinced this author is in fact AI. The one position where the Wild have ABSOLUTLY ZERO need is defense. Trade your position of greatest need to your position of least need. 🤡🤦‍♂️

Great article. Well said.. not sure why Rossi has been in the doghouse basically since he started with the Wild. It's obvious they plain just don't like him. Such a double standard with the Wild. If a veteran continues making mistakes or playing like crap he gets promoted and patted on the back. If a young player does something wrong he gets benched or demoted. How can you develop young players if you can't help them develop? I'm really getting tired of Guerin. With the cap hits coming off he better produce some great results and quit making excuses. Hynes has proven he can't coach. Especially in thr playoffs.

This is very enlightening. It suggest that BG is guided more by emotion than anything else. What is the plan? Is there a plan? Overpaying for bottom 6 grinders and trading the best center the organization has ever drafted for peanuts doesn't sound like a winning strategy. (To all the Rossi haters, Rossi is the BEST center we have ever drafted at this point in his career. Better than Ek or Koivu. He is identical in size, weight and production to Brad Marchand....) Weirdly, a person can make a good argument that BG is doing a great job and also a great argument that he should be fired immediately.

If Rossi isn't traded for an equal player, or used as high leverage to get a better one, it is a complete waste. If names start falling off the board, or people aren't interested in a trade, just keep the guy. The Wild have way too many holes behind Kap and Boldy scoring wise to say, "give us a first back." That first round pick coming back, could be anything, even a boat!

If I understand correctly, a $15M KK contract wouldn't start hitting the cap space until 26-27. According to Spotrac we have 17/23 rostered for 25-26, and about $18.5M of available space, and missing at least 2 attackers and a blueliner. Rossi will most likely be ghosted from our 25-26 roster. Either you pay the man, you pay for his replacement, or you pay in terms of lost offensive production this season. For argument's sake, let's say that is worth $7M AAV. Your cap space sits at $11.5M. Most here prefer Mojo and Bogo to go-go. So add 1 more blueliner to the needs list. Where are you going to find 2 PO-Caliber attackers and 2 defenders to ratchet up our PO game for $11M (assuming KK's $6M bump doesn't hit until next year)? The demand is high, the supply is low, add in cap increases for all teams, and prices will be high. I say you sign Rossi. GMBG, you are the the GM. It's called leadership, not like-er-ship. Just sign Rossi and let him flourish here, instead of against us. Preserve your cash and let the prospects gain that experience. At TDL, most likely more seasoned NHL experience supply and now you know how your prospects are doing, where your gaps are, and have funds to make the RIGHT moves then.

Would we love to have him? Of course. Will Utah trade a player that just scored 60 points, just turned 22, and they just signed to an 8 year extension for just over 7M annually in September? Almost certainly not.

Is this another AI article? If not, back to the drawing board with more realistic ideas. Then ask around and get some feedback. These suggestions are brutal. Trade Spurgeon for a 6.5M aging tendy? Or get Giorgiev, Samsonov, or Big Kahk. Oof... 😬

The window is finally opening for the Wild, but won't be opened all the way for another two years. Besides the ever talked issue of re-signing Kaprizov and adding a good (but probably not elite) top six player, the Wild need to spend to re-sign some core pieces this off season and next, hindering the ability to get a truly elite top six piece to make a formidable run at the Cup. Last year at this time Gustavsson was trade fodder, and Jiricek was in Columbus. Both will need raises after next season, and after burning the first year of Buium's ELC, he will need to get paid sooner rather than later also. If Wallstedt comes through as billed, he will need a raise as well, not to mention the Yurov's, Heidt's and others coming up through the ranks. One can speculate any of the various names battered about on various comment boards, and plug in adequate corresponding numbers to get them here for next season, but reality says the Wild won't be able to make a really big splash until the summer of 2027. I just want Guerin to stick to a plan and not blow it all up with bad signings before it even gets started...

I really agree with this statement. The Wild don't have to reinvent the wheel, they just have to air it up a little and get it balanced. 2025-2026 Roster and Salary: Dead money - $1.67M (Parise & Suter) C - Rossi - ??? (Offer the Boldy contract, $7M. Not going to find a FA with better production for less money) C - Ek - $5.25M C - Gaudreau - $2.1M C - Ohgren - $887K C - Yurov - ??? (Buium money, ELC $967K) C/W - Hartman - $4M W - Kaprizov - $9M W - Boldy -$7M W - Zuccarello - $4.1M W - Foligno -$4M W - Trenin - $3.5M (Trade for a 3rd round pick and free up the money. He's a 4th liner with no upside. You can get that anywhere for under $1M) W - Hinostroza - $775K D - Faber - $8.5M D - Spurgeon - $7.575M D - Brodin - $6M D - Middleton - $4.35M D - Bogosian - $1.25M D - Buium - $967K D - Jiricek - $918K G - Gustavsson - $3.75M G - Wallstedt - $2.2M Sign Rossi for $7M and Yurov for $967K. Trade Trenin for a 3rd round pick and dump his $3.5M contract. That leaves the Wild with $83.25M under contract with 20 players. Three roster spots to fill and $12.25M to spend given the $95.5M limit. Bank $8M or $9M for in-season or trade deadline acquisitions or trades and spend around $1M give or take on the three open roster spots. No need to make a splash during the off season and handcuff the team down the road. Sign Kaprizov to his record setting extension on July 1 (it will be surpassed by a different player on a different team quickly), Zuccarello and his $4.1M contract will be gone when KK's extension kicks in and the salary cap will bump up an additional $8.5M. Remember when Duhaime, Dewar and Mason Shaw rocked the PK, scored shorties, and forechecked like hell on the fourth line for less combined money than Trenin makes? It can be done!

I can't say it any other way. I think he performed at a 2C level this year. You do not. You say I can't use the time he was with Kap? fine. January, February and April, taking out the games Kap did play, 22 points in 28 games which is a 64 points pace. You don't like how I evaluated him? Fine. You can believe he isn't, and I can believe he is. If Kap signs, our window is now through at least 5 years from now. To me, and many others, Rossi is at worst a 2C. He is young, and the majority of players his age who score 60 points in a year improve year over year, with many becoming pgp players by year 25 or 26. If he has the same output or better for the next 5 years, I think that first Kap's timeline perfectly. You want to keep arguing even though in my last response and others I have said I am fine trading him if it is for a definitive upgrade. If it isn't I would rather have him on the team. Really is that simple

Second leading scorer on the team this season. 4th line minutes. And we wonder why we can’t get out of the first round of playoffs. This whole management group has to go. i honestly can’t wait until next year for GM Billy to finally be rid of his excuse he created with the cap hit so people finally realize how terrible he is as a GM

To put things into perspective. This is Rossi’s 2nd year and his first playoff series. He had 3pts in 6 games, plus minus 0, 22.2% shooting percentage and was 48.9% on face offs and had an average toi of 11:08 min… Let’s compare to some other notable Wild players… Boldy’s first series(21-22)he scored 1pt in 6 games, was -1 and played an average toi of 13:19 min and 75% on face offs with 7.7% shooting percentage. His second playoff series (22-23) he had 3pts in 6 games, was -5 and had an average toi of 20:53 min with 45.9% on face offs and 0.0% on shooting. Third series you are all aware of. He had 7pts in 6 games, +/- of 0, 25:01 min of TOI, 20% on face offs JEE had the same amount of pts in 6 games as Rossi in this series, had an average toi of 22:00 min, 53.6% on face offs and a 0% shooting percentage. In his first 25 playoff games over 5 playoff series he had a total of 9pts.. He was also never higher than 47.5% on face offs. It took him his 5th series to get to 47.5% on face offs. Kaprizov first playoffs series (20-21) 3pts in 7 games, -3, 18:52 min of average time on ice, 20% shooting percentage. The reason I post this stuff is so people understand realistic expectations. Now, I’m not saying Rossi is flawless by any stretch of the imagination, he’s small and does get knocked around because of it. But he does a lot of things this team needs. He’s in his 2nd year ffs. There’s obviously things he could do better but I think a lot of that will come with time. Look at how long it took Boldy in the playoffs, look how long it took JEE in the playoffs, it even took Kaprizov his second playoff series to do much and Rossi had 8-15 min less a game to do it.

Brazeau finished with 2 assists and +1 in the series. He was doing his job as a 4th liner. Rossi obviously helped the 4th line tally some points. Unclear if Gaudreau could do the same, but we may find out next season. I don't think Gaudreau will play above the 4th line when the Wild are healthy next year. I could see Hinostroza sticking around as the 13th forward. Minimum contract guys that can plug in on any line have value and I imagine he'd like to stick around even if Ohgren and Yurov are playing ahead of him. In search of a significant upgrade, it's possible that Ohgren might be packaged with Rossi and a pick to get a veteran sniper. Guerin has done a solid job accumulating assets and talent given where the team was when he took control. With the majority of cap constraints falling away, he can assemble the type of team he's been envisioning. Hopefully many Wild fans will be pleasantly surprised.

Good breakdown here, I was just typing up something similar but you beat me to it. I have to wonder if Kap and Boldy missing so much time hurt their longevity. Hartzy, man, played like a man possessed. Bottle that up for next season, can be a game changer playing like that. Keeping that intensity up all year is impossible and should not be expected but he danced the line of getting under skin perfectly while not taking dumb penalties. Boldy emerging? Lets keep this version for as long as possible, looked like he found his big boy pants. With Trenin, for the hate he got most of the year I think we saw why he was brought in, playoff hockey and he made an impact. I don't think he has the skill to be top 6, doesn't have the hands or shot for it but is great on line 3 or 4. Braz, passible, I thought he got better as the series went on. I don't hold much against Zeev, the jump from college to NHL, not to mention NHL playoffs is a major jump. There were flashes to give hope of him being a contributor next year, by playing more games the game should slow down and allow his skill to show up more. The rest of the D core, should see some turnover. Lose Bogo and Merril, add Zeev and Jiricek, should hopefully bring more speed and skill to the back end. Rossi....... oh boy this is a tough conversation, I 100% see what you are saying but he also put up 60 points during the year shows he has the skill to play and belongs. This year over last year showed improvement and more willingness to go to the dirty areas. Growth is a real thing so I am more in the camp of lets get him on a bridge deal and see what happens. We have also had stark critisism of other players in the past, think Ek and Boldy, they were soft and couldn't do it until they could, just took some time. Center is still not a strong position for the Wild, they have some prospects but they will have to beat Rossi out to prove they are the answer. Or they get a free agent, though the class is quite old and not too exciting, I would go in on Sam Bennett myself.

I went into this season with the expectation of being another year or two away. Turns out I was right to feel that way. The excuses are gone now. Guerin cannot settle for "responsible" players holding spots in the lineup that should go to higher end talent. The depth floor needs to be filled pronto, or other teams will fill it faster than they will. Kap and Boldy proved high end offensive talent. They just need to find 2-3 others to follow suit. Maybe that's Rossi, Buium, or Yurov. Maybe its not. But the contracts Guerin HAD to take are now optional. If he spends the money on keeping Gus or Rossi, that's one idea. If he blows his load on Marner (god forbid he'd actually do that), then ok. Trade? Better be the right one. The fanbase won't settle this time. Leipold won't settle this time. Progress has to be made.

Now I know the ODC account is hacked.

Billy has never been good at driving the value up on assets he wants to sell. He ended up getting very good return on Fiala, but definitely did not help himself when he sewered Fiala in several press conferences and dropped him to third line at times. Rossi has been a masterclass in asset mismanagement. Whether you want him on the team or not, Billy should have been trying to drive up his value, not pigeon hole him on the 4th line and repeatedly, both explicitly and implicitly, broadcast how you don't want him. We've been desperate for centers for years and have developed a 60pt center that we now want nothing to do with. His playoffs weren't the best, despite him getting production out of the forth line. I believe it was a result of Rossi playing hurt which he admitted in the closing media availability even if it didn't require surgery. Either way, Billy decidedly burned his chance for a bridge deal. Hopefully Billy pulls some more Fiala magic out of his butt as I think this is the litmus test for BG as to whether he is the right guy or not moving forward. If he can swing JJ Petrka then i will be happy, even if he has to sweeten things with a prospect or pick. If we end up with picks out of Rossi, my pitchfork is coming out. #ThePitchforkIsReady

Out of those, Peterka is the only one that really interests me. If we are trading Rossi, I'd want a young-ish player that has had some success in the NHL and still hasn't hit his ceiling - essentially a player that is much like Rossi is now. Of course, I'd want a deal already in place to sign Peterka as part of that. If he is willing, I could see that working. Yes, he's a winger and shoots left, but he's easily an upgrade over someone like Johansson and is a lot better (and has upside) compared to most of what we would find in free agency. There will be a bidding war for anyone comparable to him stats-wise or better on July 1. I'm less interested in picks or aging vets unless they are players with a lot of recent history of having 30+ goals a season and they seem like they still have a lot of gas in the tank. If they are on the decline, no thanks, we've traded for enough of those over the years while giving away young talent. Losing a center would hurt though. I know the team has indicated that they are going to give Yurov opportunities at center, which is fine, but I'd much rather have more true centers on the roster than wingers that can play center. I feel like we mostly have a bunch of wingers that can play center. If a team is going to have excess at any position, an excess of centers is better than anything else.

I cant wait for him to exceed all expectations only to be traded because he is "too small" and has "soft skill".

These Rossi articles keep coming just to keep the forum going at fever pitch I think! 🤔 I've used the term again and again here "Billy's Boys" and it's a real thing. You're either one of them or you're not. Size seems to be a qualifier Billy uses as this article states but really it could be anything. Maybe Billy seen Rossi putting french vanilla creamer in his coffee or drinking a salted caramel frothy milk cappuccino or maybe he caught Rossi washing his hands after using the restroom and Billy thought yeah he's got soft skills can't even drink black coffee and is always washing his hands. That's the thing with Billy. He's an emotional and not a critical thinker. One theme keeps showing itself however he does not like small guys who produce. I couldn't find Andrew Heydt stats listed anywhere but i'm going to guess he was around 5'6" and a buck fifty.