Wild Want Massive Haul in Trade for Marco Rossi

I think 6-7M per year for 7 years would have gotten done if Billy even slightly likes Rossi.  The cap increased over the last year versus some of the comps.  GMs usually will go a little higher for 7 years knowing the cap is likely to keep going up and because the team has control over the player during some of his UFA years.

This should be the approach the Wild takes with its young players (Ohgren comes to mind) instead of to keep trading them, especially given the difficulty that it has in attracting FA.  

Always having a couple of players on ELCs and a couple of more on their first contract after the ELC allows for TDL acquisitions and/or a big FA signing to put the team over the top for contention.  This is where too much money in the bottom 6 really frustrates me.  These players are blocking cheaper ELC players from NHL development (only so much can be learned in other leagues) and taking up cap space that could be used for TDL acquisitions and/or a big FA.

Based on Rossi’s two year production and the Wild’s need for centers, I blame Billy for not drafting another player if he can’t get over Rossi’s size.  He was 5’9” when Billy drafted him.

I hope I am wrong, but I think he will be traded and the return will be underwhelming.

3 hours ago, SkolWild73 said:

If he is worth less somewhere else, that definitely would not help Rossi and his agent in terms of what Rossi is worth

I don't think there is much relationship between what Bennet gets and what Rossi will get.  Bennet has been in the NHL for 11 years and only been over 50 (51 this year) points one time.  Rossi has a 60 point season in just his third year.  

It has taken a Stanly Cup roster to get Bennet over 40 points.

Rossi has done it twice on a team with more AHL players than 1st line talent.

They bring very different value to a team. 

1 minute ago, Patrick said:

I don't think there is much relationship between what Bennet gets and what Rossi will get.  Bennet has been in the NHL for 11 years and only been over 50 (51 this year) points one time.  Rossi has a 60 point season in just his third year.  

It has taken a Stanly Cup roster to get Bennet over 40 points.

Rossi has done it twice on a team with more AHL players than 1st line talent.

They bring very different value to a team. 

Maybe you are right, but Rossi has only played two years.  I believe that Rossi has a chance for a higher ceiling than Bennett, but he has had one average year and a good year.  I think Bennett is valued higher than Rossi is at this time, if you believe rumor mills that teams were going to offer Bennett 9-10M.  I think if Rossi hadn't missed a year and had put together a couple of good years, he probably would have been signed or traded for by now and gotten his 7x7 contract.

27 minutes ago, Patrick said:

Rossi has done it twice on a team with more AHL players than 1st line talent.

That might be true, but Rossi played with as much 1st line talent as anyone on Florida likely did. Kaprizov or Boldy scored at least 12 goals where Rossi was credited with points, and they had the primary assist on at least 17 goals where Rossi was credited with points. Those 2 were credited with 14 secondary assists on goals where Rossi got points.

Zuccarello also has a heavy presence in the scoring logs for Rossi. Rossi had just 14 points on the season where one of Kaprizov, Boldy, or Zuccarello were not involved in the soring logs. Rossi is a good all around player, but he was often playing with players not anywhere near AHL level.

It's never been about Rossi's talent. It's always been about the rumored demand for a 7 year $50MM contract.

Like saying nobody here likes/wants (insert car you love) because you simply can't justify spending more than your budget allows to get the car.

The negotiations feel more like an MLB Boras client over-inflating their value. The Wild will make a QO to Rossi, he'll decline it, and the Wild will be able to match any offer Rossi gets to retain him, unless I'm misunderstanding something. I'm just not as familiar with NHL contract rules as I am some other sports. That's, I'm sure, the expectation Guerin has.

The Wild are in win-now mode. I doubt they're casting off Rossi for draft picks unless they can acquire a legitimate NHL proven center replacement. 

On 6/24/2025 at 9:58 AM, bisopher said:

Amazing how he can be both expendable and irreplaceable at the same time...

Other than the truly elite players on a team, most players on a roster would fit that description.  They are an absolute necessity until you can turn them for something better.

On 6/24/2025 at 1:56 PM, FredJohnson said:

Would the matches (5x6 and 5x7) be a loss/fail?

I don't think so, I think this gives a good look at Rossi's financial value. A team willing to give up a 1st & 3rd in next year's draft with no lottery protection, plus that contract, gives us a look at what capflation looks like. 

I think if you're going to get Rossi in this scenario, it's got to be the 1st, 2nd & 3rd pick, AND, you've got to have a team with a decent chance of picking a lottery pick. So, if a team like Vegas did it, you'd probably decline the compensation and sign him. If a team like Chicago did it, you'd probably take the compensation and run.

Does this set us back in our timeline? I don't really think it does too much, because then you play the rookies and give them experience while giving yourself another shot at a lottery pick. For me, the retool/rebuild is over and we've got what we need. Now it's time to show these guys how to win! That's why our leadership is there. I wouldn't mind going into the season as a floor team if the players you want aren't there. 

I do think this team is good enough with what we've got to be a WC team again. If fully healthy, maybe more. I think it takes the rookies a year to acclimate and gel. I think we should have done a lot of that last season, but we pushed it back with the older guys like MAF taking The Wall's spot. Sometimes the right move is to subtract first before you add.

On 6/24/2025 at 2:45 PM, Patrick said:

Less.  He is a perfect compliment to their star players.  If he leaves expect a significant drop in productivity.

I think that is really just for the regular season. He makes his contract in the playoffs. Sometimes you need guys willing to run 'tenders, and get in people's faces, and play the whole time in the gray area. That is his specialty. He's not a regular season #2C either, but he can play it nasty in the playoffs. We noticed this with Trenin who saved himself for the playoffs more or less. Hartman is built the same way but I'm convinced his right shoulder is damaged.

23 hours ago, Patrick said:

I don't think there is much relationship between what Bennet gets and what Rossi will get.  Bennet has been in the NHL for 11 years and only been over 50 (51 this year) points one time.  Rossi has a 60 point season in just his third year.  

It has taken a Stanly Cup roster to get Bennet over 40 points.

Rossi has done it twice on a team with more AHL players than 1st line talent.

They bring very different value to a team.

I agree that they bring different value to a team. Here's what I think Guerin's opinion is: we have a bright young star center who needs to be big enough not to get knocked off of pucks. I think when Guerin drafted Rossi he saw a short stocky guy, he was listed at 185. I think Guerin expected him to fill out to 195 and play a very stocky game. This did not happen.

I did not think that Rossi developed much muscle last offseason. It was clear he did 2 seasons ago, but last year he didn't look much different. I think Guerin sees him needing another big offseason of weight training before he can trust him with a big contract with term. I also don't think this is an unreasonable expectation on Guerin's part. You don't pay contractors before the job is complete. You don't pay for a new house until closing. You don't pay for a car until you've got the deal done.

This is the same thing with Rossi. His potential is really, really good, but that's just it, it's potential. Jumping from 40 to 60 points is good too. He got to play with guys further up in the lineup that helped him get there. But as a player he has growth to do. It's not his fault he had myocarditis and had to sit out until it was over and lost a bunch of strength. This is also not the Wild's fault or Guerin's. Rossi is owed nothing at this point, and with very little leverage. 

Let's put this another way. Guerin owns Rossi's rights for another 4 years. Unless Guerin decides to trade him, this season, he can offer Rossi a QO. That's right, a QO is somewhere around $1.2m. If that's the offer, Rossi can then decide if he wants to play in Europe for the next 4 years, pretty much torpedoing his NHL career. But, if he plays on that low contract, next year he gets arbitration rights, so then the 2 go tow to tow on worth. 2/3 years, Rossi has earned his bonuses. Guerin does not have to offer him $4.5m for next year. He doesn't have to offer him $3.5m next year. But, this is a 1 year deal where he gets him relatively cheap. 

What Rossi could do is sign a 2 year $9m contract where it's $3.5m for year 1 and $5.5m for year 2. That would mean, for him to be QO'd after year 2, it would cost a little over $6m. That gives him 2 more years of runway to prove his worth. Could Rossi hit 80 points? If he plays with Kaprizov he could. Rossi also needs to improve in the faceoff dot. He was 2.1% better this year. That should also be an offseason focus of his.

On 6/24/2025 at 9:15 AM, Citizen Strife said:

Rossi doesn't strike me as a quitter someone that won't gut things out over a contract dispute.  He would be shown the door super FUCKING fast if he was.  If he and his agent want money, the quickest way to lose it is to stop caring 

Besides, Guerin was in the news last night and told them in no certain terms that the media (i.e. Russo and others) can go fuck themselves.  We won't know anything until "re-signs" or "traded" shows up.

Well every MN wild article has shown... Billy won't pay rossi. 

He could get it elsewhere. Billy just doesn't like him. If all these other teams have major interest, stands to reason he's a player on the up.

Who can ou get to replace 60 pts a year and do it better? 

Who has more upside?

6 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I agree that they bring different value to a team. Here's what I think Guerin's opinion is: we have a bright young star center who needs to be big enough not to get knocked off of pucks. I think when Guerin drafted Rossi he saw a short stocky guy, he was listed at 185. I think Guerin expected him to fill out to 195 and play a very stocky game. This did not happen.

I did not think that Rossi developed much muscle last offseason. It was clear he did 2 seasons ago, but last year he didn't look much different. I think Guerin sees him needing another big offseason of weight training before he can trust him with a big contract with term. I also don't think this is an unreasonable expectation on Guerin's part. You don't pay contractors before the job is complete. You don't pay for a new house until closing. You don't pay for a car until you've got the deal done.

This is the same thing with Rossi. His potential is really, really good, but that's just it, it's potential. Jumping from 40 to 60 points is good too. He got to play with guys further up in the lineup that helped him get there. But as a player he has growth to do. It's not his fault he had myocarditis and had to sit out until it was over and lost a bunch of strength. This is also not the Wild's fault or Guerin's. Rossi is owed nothing at this point, and with very little leverage. 

Let's put this another way. Guerin owns Rossi's rights for another 4 years. Unless Guerin decides to trade him, this season, he can offer Rossi a QO. That's right, a QO is somewhere around $1.2m. If that's the offer, Rossi can then decide if he wants to play in Europe for the next 4 years, pretty much torpedoing his NHL career. But, if he plays on that low contract, next year he gets arbitration rights, so then the 2 go tow to tow on worth. 2/3 years, Rossi has earned his bonuses. Guerin does not have to offer him $4.5m for next year. He doesn't have to offer him $3.5m next year. But, this is a 1 year deal where he gets him relatively cheap. 

What Rossi could do is sign a 2 year $9m contract where it's $3.5m for year 1 and $5.5m for year 2. That would mean, for him to be QO'd after year 2, it would cost a little over $6m. That gives him 2 more years of runway to prove his worth. Could Rossi hit 80 points? If he plays with Kaprizov he could. Rossi also needs to improve in the faceoff dot. He was 2.1% better this year. That should also be an offseason focus of his.

 

All the good things you mentioned are objective and true. All the bad things you mentioned are completely subjective and have NO objective evidence.  Weird.

15 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

you play the rookies and give them experience

This has yet to be done…ever…not even close. So, I’m very skeptical that Hynes/GMBG/OCL will go for playing the young guys.

On 6/24/2025 at 9:42 AM, Citizen Strife said:

Hartman and Foligno playing like people possessed probably forced that.  I blame Hynes for trusting Gaudreau and Nyquist moreso than not letting Rossi play 2nd or 3rd line instead.

That's more on Hynes though.  I highly doubt Guerin purposefully played that hand just to fuck with Rossi.  This isn't Talbot's wife bitching to the public.

 

The issue is, whether it was intention or not, the result is the same. The optics to the rest of the league are the same. The affect on a players moral and drive to be here is the same.

We had a prospect willing to do whatever it took to be part of the team. He had total dedication to improving whereever we needed him to, to put in the extra work over summer and through personal events. Do you think he will have that same drive now? After be rewarded for his hard work and production with a 4th line assignment that got cut everytime Hynes shortened the bench, which he did every game, do you honestly expect him to have the same dedication to this coach and management group?

3 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

We had a prospect willing to do whatever it took to be part of the team. He had total dedication to improving whereever we needed him to, to put in the extra work over summer and through personal events. Do you think he will have that same drive now? After be rewarded for his hard work and production with a 4th line assignment that got cut everytime Hynes shortened the bench, which he did every game, do you honestly expect him to have the same dedication to this coach and management group?

Thank god this saga will soon be over

In other news, Freddy G is gone to the Kraken for a forth rounder

11 hours ago, Patrick said:

All the good things you mentioned are objective and true. All the bad things you mentioned are completely subjective and have NO objective evidence.  Weird.

All the bad things were pure speculation of trying to figure out what is in Guerin's mind. This is what I think he's thinking, trying to follow his logic pattern. Yes, it's subjective mainly because none of us are in the room with him. Wasn't someone supposed to send a bug into his office around here? P-spy, was that you?

26 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

We had a prospect willing to do whatever it took to be part of the team. He had total dedication to improving whereever we needed him to, to put in the extra work over summer and through personal events.

This was done 2 seasons ago, I'm not sure it was done last season. Rossi didn't look really different, though, he did get to play with better players. His goal total was only up about 3, but his assist total went up a lot. It wasn't because he gave guys better chances, it was because he played with better players IMO. 

28 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

After be rewarded for his hard work and production with a 4th line assignment that got cut everytime Hynes shortened the bench, which he did every game, do you honestly expect him to have the same dedication to this coach and management group?

Yes, I do expect that, because regardless of where he plays, he's got to be tenacious in getting himself better. Let's just say that July 1st roles around  and there are no offersheets for him. Then what? 

I'm on record thinking that the whole 4th line got jipped on TOI, and they were a better line than how they got played. They were physical and Trenin who has stone passing hands actually made 2 really nice plays to Rossi who buried them. Instead of 11 minutes a night, I thought they deserved about 3 more shifts a game. 

If you don't want to get thrown onto the 4th line in the playoffs, then you need to build your body so you won't be taken off the top 6, at least that is my speculation of how the front office and coaching staff sees Rossi. Rossi's game also was not up to par during the last 1/4 of the regular season. 

So, what's needed? Work your butt off this summer and come in very strong on pucks, hard to knock off the puck and with elite edge work and see if that doesn't pay off. Other teams may be a little frightened of the exact same thing.