ST. PAUL, Minn. — Marco Rossi did everything the Minnesota Wild asked of him.
The 22-year-old forward spent last summer in Minnesota to work on his game, including improving his skating stride. He showed that he was ready for a full-time role from the start of the season, even playing on the top line for periods. He racked up 21 goals, leaving him out of the conversation for Calder Trophy finalists.
“A year ago, I don’t think we’d say he’d have 21 goals,” team president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin said. “He got to work. He proved himself. Off the ice, his habits changed. He changed his way of doing things and it paid off.”
So, you might ask, why would the Wild consider trading the 2020 No. 9 pick?
Well, it’s complicated.
Considering the franchise has been starved for center depth for, well, a couple of decades, it might seem surprising to deal a young center who primarily played in the top six all season. And, to be fair, this is not a situation where the team is aggressively shopping the hyped prospect.
But the Wild have two centers: Danila Yurov, who just wrapped up a championship season in the KHL, and Riley Heidt, who is expected to have every opportunity to make the team after camp. Heidt could return to the WHL and Prince George, but if he stays in Minnesota, he would likely be a top-six player. That’s probably asking a lot of a 19-year-old, but you get the point.
Riley Heidt, the Wild’s 2023 second-round pick, scored 37 goals and 117 points in 66 WHL games last season. (Bruce Bennett//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
You have Joel Eriksson Ek as a number one or two center. For now, there are Rossi, Ryan Hartman, Freddy Gaudreau and Marat Khusnutdinov all filling that position. Yurov is likely to arrive within a year.
There are only so many top-six spots left for the Wild when you have Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello, etc. And Minnesota plans to be in the market for a top-six winger in free agency on July 1. .
So if you’re a Wild and aren’t convinced you want to invest long-term in Rossi (who is entering the final year of his initial contract before becoming an RFA), do you try to make a move when Rossi’s value is higher?
There aren’t many tradable assets right now that can lead to impactful roster changes. Goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson could be on the move, but after a down year, it’s unrealistic to expect many suitors in a market that already includes several goalie trades. Hartman, Marcus Foligno and Zuccarello all have no-movement clauses that have gone into effect thanks to their first extensions signed in September. Kaprizov, Boldy and Eriksson Ek are not going anywhere. Even Marcus Johansson has a no-trade clause.
Watch the Stanley Cup playoffs and you’ll notice how far the Wild have to go to get into real contention. The Athletic asked coach John Hynes at the end of the season what separates the top three teams in the Central Division (Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets) from the Wild, as Minnesota was 0-10-1 against them .
“A little bit of speed, some size, some depth,” he said.
It’s a pretty steep (and humiliating) hill to climb.
So if there’s a way to turn Rossi into a potentially bigger or faster version, probably another former top-10 pick who’s looking for a change of scenery, then that’s something that could be on the table. Consider the Cutter Gauthier trade from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Columbus Blue Jackets just hired a new general manager and president in long-time Hurricanes executive Don Waddell. Could Guerin call you regarding a package involving Cole Sillinger or Kent Johnson? How about Kaapo Kakko, the former No. 2 pick of the New York Rangers? How about Rutger McGroarty of the University of Michigan, who the Winnipeg Jets are reportedly preparing to trade? Utah expansion team coach André Tourigny coached Rossi as a junior and is a big fan.
This isn’t to say the Wild aren’t fans of Rossi.
“I think Marco has shown a lot of what we thought he would be,” said Judd Brackett, the Wild’s director of amateur scouting. “In terms of the timeline to get there, to me that’s not as important as the player we wanted him to be, what we hoped he would be, what we thought he could be. You still see the same characteristics, the hockey sense, the two-way play, the details. He has always been an outstanding producer and continues to be. He is acting very, very well. We’ve seen that he’s had his own health issues, but the COVID effect on the players and the development of him from that Draft, for some of the guys, has been slower.
“That doesn’t mean the high side isn’t there. It doesn’t mean they won’t reach their potential. But there’s a year of lost development, the road has setbacks for some of them. You’re still seeing guys hit those marks. It takes time. It takes opportunity. It takes confidence. That’s one of the biggest things, watching him play, the confidence he’s gaining. With that there’s going to be continued growth.”
Let’s be clear: The Wild aren’t going to give Rossi away. And there’s a good chance they’ll decide to keep him. He’s coming off a strong World Championship, where he helped make Austria one of the best stories ever. They rallied from a 6-1 deficit to tie and nearly upset Canada. They upset Finland. That could be a springboard into next season for Rossi, who believes his ceiling is much higher.
GO DEEPER
Wild’s Marco Rossi scores a goal to remember as Austria erases a 5-goal deficit against Canada at the World Cup
There is no rush here, as Rossi has another year on his initial contract before becoming a restricted free agent. The Wild could give him another season to see how Rossi develops, along with the other prospects.
“The only thing is that we are always faster and stronger,” Rossi said. “I want to be better. Then my shootout. I know I scored 21 goals. But I think I should have scored more. I had a lot of scoring opportunities and I just want to take advantage of them to score more.”
Rossi is an inspiring and heartwarming story. A few years ago he missed an entire season due to a potentially serious heart condition stemming from COVID-19. He bounced back after being sent to AHL Iowa during the 2022-23 season to experience more. And he came back better, earning a Masterton Trophy nomination.
Marco Rossi is Wild’s Masterton Trophy nominee this year. (Steph Chambers//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
“Everything he’s been through hasn’t deterred his will and determination to get there,” said Wild assistant general manager Mike Murray, former general manager of AHL Iowa. “He’s overcome a lot along the way, and it’s really exciting to watch.” . There were setbacks along the way, probably frustration in the timeline internally and for him. But he stuck to the process. He didn’t doubt the organization or where he was. He lowered his head and wanted to work.
“He is a great example for all the players we have behind him. It took him longer than he imagined when he was the ninth overall pick, but he stuck with it. He trusted what the organization thought was best for him and he has gotten this far. Not only here, but he has been successful here.”
Leaving aside the first ten selections is going to generate criticism. When the Tampa Bay Lightning traded former third-round draft pick Jonathan Drouin (coming off a strong playoff run) to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for unproven defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (ninth overall pick), fans were excited. They got angry. But who got the better of that long-term deal?
The Wild are coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs for the second time in 12 years. They’re not Cup contenders looking for an adjustment. They need to make some changes and prove to Kaprizov that they can be a team to win with once the Zach Parise-Ryan Suter salary cap purgatory ends in a year.
Would moving Rossi help them get there? That remains to be seen.
But keep this fact in mind: what matters in this decision is not what journalists or fans think. That’s what Wild’s management thinks. If Guerin and company believe that the return of the Rossi trade will improve the team this offseason, they will pull the trigger.
(Top photo: Nick Wosika / USA Today)
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