By Tony Abbott -
Thanks partly to Kirill Kaprizov's scorching start, Marco Rossi has been enjoying quite the breakout as the Minnesota Wild's No. 1 center. The two have played around 60% of their even-strength minutes with each other, and both are having career seasons. For Rossi's part, he's scored 11 goals and 26 points in 34 games when Kaprizov's been in the lineup.
That's all very nice, of course. Still, Wild fans have seen the likes of Victor Rask and Ryan Hartman have their numbers turbo-charged when playing with, arguably, the best winger in the world. What happens if the two were to separate? How would Rossi hold up on his own?
Well, we've seen five games in which Rossi played and Kaprizov was out of the lineup. We have our answer.
He'll just score even more.
In the four games since December 27, with a fifth on November 23 against the Calgary Flames, Rossi's shown that he's a strong, independent "Australian" who don't need no Kaprizov.
Losing Kaprizov doesn't just mean not getting his beautiful set-up feeds or losing the option to pass to an elite shooter. It means more pressure on Rossi's shoulders to carry the offensive load (especially with the likes of Matt Boldy struggling) and more defensive attention from the opposition. Without Kaprizov, he goes from being an elite character actor to a leading man.
And sure, we've only seen it for five episodes, but what a memorable run already. Rossi has four goals and seven points in those five games, including some massive, momentum-turning highlights. Thursday night's third-period goal against the Washington Capitals tied the game at 3, enabling Minnesota to eventually bank two points in a shootout win.
That's not the only big moment in Kaprizov's absence that's had Rossi's fingerprints on it, not by a long shot. He went off against the Nashville Predators for two goals and an assist, including a power-play goal in the third period that put the Preds away for good. He won the overtime-opening faceoff against Matt Duchene (who is 55% in the dot for the season), earning the assist on Brock Faber's OT-winner against the Dallas Stars. In November, his two-point third period in Calgary salvaged a point in a game where the Flames held a 3-1 lead through 56 minutes.
And these are just the moments when he's done it without Kaprizov on his wing.
Overall, Rossi's 15 goals are tied for 35th in the NHL -- a tie which lands him in some elite company. Joining him in the Exactly 15 Goals Club are Connor McDavid, Jack Hughes, Brad Marchand, Duchene, Lucas Raymond, and Martin Nečas. Not bad. He's also just inside the top-50 in the NHL for points (33, tied for 49th) with Tage Thompson and Connor Bedard.
Even better, those goals seem to come in huge moments. Rossi's game-tying tally against the Capitals was his eighth goal of the season in the third period or overtime. Taking empty-net goals out of the equation, Rossi's tied for the third-most third-period/overtime goals in the NHL. Five of those came with the score within one goal -- the same number of goals Kaprizov has in those situations. You can also add another five assists for Rossi in those situations.
It's important to see young players take big steps forward every year, and this is Rossi's second big leap in as many seasons. Rossi's not just having a great season; he's on track to have a historic one for the Wild. Through 39 games, he's already tied for 12th in franchise history in goals from an Under-23 player. He's on pace to hit 32 goals and 69 points, which would break and tie the U-23 records Boldy took from Marián Gáborík last season.
Arguably, just as importantly, John Hynes seems to have no hesitation in throwing Rossi over the boards in crunch time anymore. Though injuries have opened up power play opportunities for Rossi, that alone doesn't explain the boost from 16 minutes per night in October and November to the 20-plus minutes he averaged in December. The trade whispers that once surrounded him have faded as the Wild are finally fully embracing what they have in Rossi.
But really, how could they not, at this point? His evolution continues as the season goes on, and his latest accomplishments -- all with the added degree of difficulty that comes with no Kaprizov -- show that he's been a terrific player and steps up in big moments. You can't ask for anything better than that.
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