By Tony Abbott -
There's been smoke surrounding Marco Rossi being on the trade block for around a year now. Is this a smart move on the part of the Minnesota Wild? It's hard to see how. However, Bill Guerin isn't taking his cues from Hockey Wilderness on how to run his team.
So the question becomes: What might the Wild be looking for? From what Guerin has said, we know that "bigger, stronger, faster" seems to be the mantra and that forward is a bigger focus than defense. It also seems that they wouldn't necessarily target a center in return because prospect Riley Heidt could potentially slide in for Rossi.
Centers in hockey are like pitchers in baseball -- everyone wants them, and almost no one has enough. That's a compelling reason to keep someone like Rossi, but it's also why they should expect a premium in return if they were to trade him for a winger. Someone younger, perhaps, with a goal-scoring punch. Someone like Dylan Guenther of the Utah-rtist Formerly Known As the Arizona Coyotes.
If you're going to trade a 22-year-old center who scored 20 goals last year, Guenther is someone who'd theoretically be equal value. The Coyotes drafted Guenther ninth overall in 2021 -- one year after Minnesota took Rossi with pick 9. After a false start in the 2022-23 season (six goals and 15 points in 33 games), Arizona recalled Guenther on January 7, and Guenther left no doubt that he was ready.
Guenther scored 18 goals and 35 points in just 45 games for the Coyotes, getting better and better each month. In March and April, Guenther racked up 12 goals and 23 points in 23 games, finishing his season with three multi-point goals in four games. That production tracks with his history of being an elite goal-scorer.
You might have heard that Minnesota could use some secondary scoring. Guenther would provide that, allowing Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy to stay on the same line without sacrificing wing depth down the lineup. Guenther also possesses a coveted right-shot at forward, something the left-shot-heavy Wild have lacked for years, useful for firing seamless one-timers on the power play.
Does Guenther fit with Guerin's "bigger, stronger, faster" mantra? "Guenther is a beautiful skating winger," The Athletic's Scott Wheeler writes, "who slices through holes and dashes past flat-footed defenders." The Wild struggled to create scoring chances on the rush last year, and Guenther would bring back that element of their offense that Minnesota lost in the Kevin Fiala trade.
As for bigger and stronger? Yes and no. Guenther's 6-foot-2 frame gives him a three-inch advantage over Rossi. But he's listed at 175 lbs., less than Rossi (5-foot-9, 180 lbs.). But reading between the lines, it seems like the Wild brass think Rossi isn't as strong as his game suggests. Perhaps they would feel Guenther plays bigger than his size.
Even if Guenther would only be an upgrade in the speed department, there's no denying that his shot is special. Scouts thought his shot was NHL-caliber at age 17. He fires the puck with power, yes, but he's also crafty with it in a way that consistently beats goalies. Elite Prospects described his arsenal as having "a wide range of release points, blade deception, and best of all, the skill to get his shot off mid-stride" in their 2021 Draft Guide.
Guenther averaged 2.7 shots per game as a Coyote this year. Adding him to the Wild's stable, along with Kaprizov and Boldy, would give them three high-volume, high-percentage shooters. It could make for some magic.
But that's only if the new Utah team has any urgency to flip a 21-year-old budding sniper. Landing Guenther would (and might still) be a pipe dream, except that Utah is a natural potential destination for Rossi.
Their coach, André Tourigny, coached Rossi in the OHL, and they have a great relationship. "One of the best coaches I've ever had," Rossi told The Athletic's Michael Russo in 2022.
The feeling was mutual. "He's an unbelievable pro... a hell of a player," Tourigny told Russo. "On and off the ice, he's as low maintenance as you can find. He was a blast to coach."
You can bet it was a blast because Rossi and Tourigny helped each other climb to the NHL. Rossi arrived in North America during Tourigny's second year behind the Ottawa 67's bench. They immediately went from a bottom-five team in the OHL to the best record in the league. They made it to the Memorial Cup Finals, with Rossi only scoring 29 goals and 65 points in 53 games.
They might have won the 2020 Memorial Cup if not for COVID canceling it because Ottawa was at the top of the OHL again. Rossi had an absurd 39 goals and 120 points in 56 games that season. Two years later, Tourigny was behind Arizona's bench, and you have to think he'd love a reunion if he has anything to say about it.
Furthermore, Utah is a team that needs centers. The Coyotes listed Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz as centers but combined for only 465 faceoffs in 2023-24. That leaves Logan Cooley as their only top-six-caliber center in the NHL. Nick Bjugstad and Jack McBain had solid seasons, but it wasn't enough to power Arizona to the playoffs. Rossi would fit in their lineup, even without Tourigny.
As good of a prospect pool as Arizona has (they ranked ninth in Scott Wheeler's rankings at The Athletic), they have the same problem Minnesota's had for a long time: They don't have a lot of centers. Conor Geekie (No. 4) is the only relatively sure thing to stick down the middle, with a lot of defenders and wingers in the mix.
Unless the Coyotes can convince Steven Stamkos to move to Utah or wildly overpay Sam Reinhart this summer, their options to upgrade down the middle are limited to trades. Rossi would add that depth down the middle, compliment their wingers (including Utah's other top wing prospect, 6-foot-5 Daniil But), and continue to grow his offensive game in an environment where his coaches and front office can buy into him 100%.
Would this justify shipping out one of the most successful young centers in franchise history? Probably not. After spending two decades trying to build any sort of center depth, Minnesota trading one of the only centers they've successfully developed before he's finished baking would seem foolish. But it would at least seem less so if the return was a player who checks as many boxes as Guenther.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this listed Marco Rossi as having played in the QMJHL instead of the OHL. We regret the error. Hat tip to reader Walt for notifying us.
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