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  • Wild Reportedly Sign Marco Rossi To 3-Year Contract


    Image courtesy of © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
    Thomas Williams

    The Marco Rossi contract saga of the year 2025 is finally over. The Minnesota Wild have reportedly signed the young centerman to a new contract that will keep him in St. Paul for at least a few more years, potentially.

    According to PuckPedia, the Wild have re-signed Rossi to a three-year deal that have a salary come in around the $5 million mark.

    Shortly after this report from PuckPedia, The Athletic's Michael Russo doubled down on his initial report from Thursday that the Wild are very close to putting pen to paper and then reported officially that it will be a three-year, $15-million contract for Rossi, meaning that it is a flat $5 million cap hit for the young centerman through the 2027-28 season.

    This all comes after months of reports and rumors about a stalemate. Earlier this offseason, it appeared that a trade was most likely to happen. The Wild were not satisfied with Rossi's initial contract demands and thought that instead of nailing him down to a contract similar to this one, they would try to see what his value is like in the trade market.

    But due to those financial demands and some more traditional general managers questioning his size and whether or not his production was simply because of playing with Kirill Kaprizov, there were no offers good enough for Wild general manager Bill Guerin to accept.

    Now, Rossi and the Wild have come together to find a somewhat temporary solution.

    The contract is only three years, which means a whole lot of things. First, Rossi will remain a restricted free agent at the end of this deal, with him just being one year away from unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2029. He will be eligible for arbitration this time around, so there could be a swifter solution if, for some reason, there is still this same player-team dynamic three years from now.

    With the contract being three years, it is also an opportunity for Rossi to firmly establish himself as that true, top-six center that everyone ultimately hopes he becomes. If his contract demands were truly Matt Boldy's deal of seven years at a $7-million AAV, shaving off $2 million per year to potentially cash in by even more three years from now is not a bad deal for the player. That is, if he becomes a consistent 60–70-point centerman who plays in all situations.

    The dollars and term feel like the right balance of risk and potential reward for both the Wild and Rossi. On a pure salary basis, it could be a steal for Minnesota, but it is such a short deal that it won't truly feel like a bargain. To put it this way: Rossi is making just $250,000 less per season than Joel Eriksson Ek has been through some dominant two-way seasons.

    We're just happy this is now over, and we can stop thinking about contract negotiations and put our focus on what can potentially happen on the ice.

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    Let's just hope BG see's the value and doesn't trade him, unless he absolutely wins the trade hands down. A no-brainer so to speak.

    Let's also hope BG doesn't use the extra cash 'HE SAVED' by signing more Trenins and the like and making trades for 3'rd pairing big D men who no longer use their size for intimidation.

    Edited by Willy the poor boy
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    It REALLY shouldn't have been that hard to figure this out.  I still think they're underpaying him at $5M.  Don't worry Marco, in three years you'll get to sign a deal with a new GM.

    BTW, Ek wasn't dominant until after he signed his current deal, Marco has definitely outperformed Ek when comparing their first few seasons.

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    6 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

    Honestly, if he levels off he will outperform this contract.

    Very true.  If he continues to improve it could be one of the best non-elc value contracts in the league

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    Honestly, as much as us fans have discussed this and formed opinions on both side, I see the structure of the contract ($4M-5M-6M) so that the QO, since it will expire with Rossi still a RFA, will be higher while giving SillyG the target AAV he's looking for.

    Looks like both sides got slight concessions out of the other...

    Means Rossi's flight back across the pond can get booked, and hopefully he can get here in time to grab a corndog at the fair.

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    2 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

    Means Rossi's flight back across the pond can get booked, and hopefully he can get here in time to grab a corndog at the fair.

    Naw, someone should make him Schnitzel on a Stick.

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    3 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

    Sorry Marco, you deserved more. We'll probably be saying farewell at the deadline, but you'll be happier wherever you end up.

    It ain't Nazar money

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    5 minutes ago, Scalptrash said:

    Sorry Marco, you deserved more. We'll probably be saying farewell at the deadline, but you'll be happier wherever you end up.

    Yup. Too bad, too. Kid wants to stay but Billy…

    3XB.gif

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    So now, this could open the door for the Russian centerman FA who hasn't signed yet. I'm not sure if he's tall enough for this team or has the weight requirements, but it's a possibility. I think he had some emotional issues to work through 2 or 3 years ago and went to the KHL and wants to come back to the NHL.

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    9 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

    I think he had some emotional issues to work through 2 or 3 years ago and went to the KHL and wants to come back to the NHL.

    What’s with hockey players and their emotional issues? I guess it’s better than having domestic violence issues like the NFL..

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    12 minutes ago, Sam said:

    What’s with hockey players and their emotional issues? I guess it’s better than having domestic violence issues like the NFL..

    When your GM and coach demote you, devalue you, and then bully you into signing an under market contract.

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    53 minutes ago, 0 Stanley Cups said:

    It ain't Nazar money

    No, it isn't. But since Nazar's 6 yrs. @ $6.6MM/yr. deal doesn't start until next year, Rossi will make about $1MM more than Nazar will over the next three years.  He'll then have the ability to sign a new contract for >$7MM AAV.

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    5M/year, Get that man a bandit mask and a flour sack with a big dollar sign on it.  Highway robbery.  Rest of you are lamenting him getting the short end of the stick. Here comes the “Itoadaso” when he’s sweating in his locker stall, 20 games in, with microphones in his face asking him what he thinks he needs to do to finally start putting points up. Answered with a shrug and some Austrian pidgin English.  Guerin will look like Glen Sather having only pissed away 5M/year of that Johnson Wax money.  Can’t wait to see what kind of puck bag and what flavor or Gatorade premix they get for him at the trade deadline. It’ll be a win even the bag is gently used and the premix is expired.  Ish more hollow-boned Eurotrash. No skating, no hitting just more floating.  Bah, humbug

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    Wow I’m kinda shocked. Wild management didn’t budge an inch on AAV. I’m a big Rossi fan and I hope he blows up (on the ice). I hope MR stays with the Wild and plays an important role in their success. This is the most exciting I’ve been going into a new season in a long time. 

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    19 minutes ago, bisopher said:
    1 hour ago, 0 Stanley Cups said:

    It ain't Nazar money

    No, it isn't. But since Nazar's 6 yrs. @ $6.6MM/yr. deal doesn't start until next year, Rossi will make about $1MM more than Nazar will over the next three years.  He'll then have the ability to sign a new contract for >$7MM AAV.

    Also, Chicago might be overpaying for Nazar, but it should be pointed out that Nazar is a playmaker who posted 26 points in 53 NHL games at age 21. In the other part of the year, he tallied 24 points in 21 AHL games.

    Rossi posted 1 point in 19 NHL games at age 21(51 points in 53 AHL games that year). Nazar also is slightly bigger, but I don't know who plays bigger. Just as we couldn't evaluate Rossi deserving $6M at age 21, we shouldn't rip that Nazar extension until we see how he does at age 22 and age 23.

    It might be an overpay, a great deal for Chicago, or just about right. Nazar has been a key playmaker for national teams and the U of MI prior to the AHL/NHL experience last season, and there's a lot to like about his game.

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    1 hour ago, Sam said:

    What’s with hockey players and their emotional issues?

    Not sure…might be that a lot of them move away from home in their formative years to play on development hockey teams.

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