The Minnesota Wild are entering a very important stretch in their organization’s history. They have one season remaining in Zach Parise + Ryan Suter purgatory, before the books are supposed to open up, in 2025-26, which also happens to be the final year of Kirill Kaprizov’s current contract.
So, in the interim, Wild president of hockey operations, Bill Guerin, is trying to figure out how build a roster foundation that will convince Kaprizov to stick around long-term. Who will be part of that plan? That’s the million dollar question.
Minnesota Wild remain unconvinced by Marco Rossi
One mystery surrounding the Wild’s future is 22-year-old center, Marco Rossi. After a very slow start to his career, the young Austrian busted onto the scene in 2023. He scored 21 goals and assisted on 19 more, good for top-5 in the Calder Trophy race.
Still, Rossi’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors, since the moment Minnesota’s season ended. Why? Because Bill Guerin and head coach John Hines remain unconvinced of whether or not to invest in him long-term.
Which is why they talked him out of traveling back to Europe. in August. He wanted to play a top-6 role for the Austrian National Team, as they tried to qualify for the 2026 Olympics, in Milan. They wanted him to stay back and continue his development. So, he stayed back and Austria failed to qualify.
conversations with Wild coach John Hynes and team president and general manager Bill Guerin, Rossi decided it was best to skip the qualifiers in Europe and come to Minnesota in mid-August to continue his training with the team. After Rossi’s decision to stay in the Twin Cities last summer sparked a breakout 21-goal, 40-point season, Hynes emphasized to Rossi what a huge year 2024-25 will be for him. The former first-round pick is a restricted free agent next offseason.
Joe Smith – The Athletic
Yes, the Wild have Riley Heidt and Danila Yurov being added to the roster, over the next two years, so there isn’t a short of young centers in this organization. Still, it seems crazy that Guerin & Co is so willing to dump Rossi. The kid potted nearly his age in goals, as a rookie.
Guerin loves his guys… and Rossi is not one of them
The Wild’s current roster is full of mostly veteran players, who are likely beyond the prime years of their careers. Guys like Marcus Foligno, Marcus Johansson and Ryan Hartman were all given extensions ahead of Rossi. Behind them, though, Minnesota has constructed a better than average prospect pool that is starting to arrive in St. Paul.
We saw Brock Faber get a contract extension of his own already, after he nearly ripped the Calder Trophy out of Connor Bedard’s IR prone fingers. Marco Rossi is going into the final year of his rookie deal, and the Minnesota Wild are determined to make him prove himself all the way through the end.
“So many people are talking. It’s not my focus. Not what I want. My focus is on what I believe in, what my small group believes in me, and what they’re thinking. Anything else? It’s not in my control.”
Marco Rossi (via The Athletic)
