Wild could trade pending RFA Marco Rossi

The Minnesota Wild are off to a solid start to the 2024-25 season. With 29 points through 19 games, they are firmly entrenched in the Western Conference playoff conversation. Despite that, they could still trade away players at the NHL trade deadline. A recent trade board from The Athletic’s Chris Johnston as Wild pending restricted free agent Marco Rossi on the block.

“While certainly not a player the Wild are under pressure to trade, they are facing a decision on Rossi,” Johnston wrote. “He’s a pending restricted free agent, and Minnesota needs to determine if it’s ready to commit long-term to a diminutive winger with elite offensive instincts and playmaking abilities. Rossi is off to a strong start this season for a Wild team punching above its weight class. He’s a candidate to be included in a player-for-player swap.”

The Wild are still battling through the dead cap charges of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. With almost $15 million on the books for those two players this season, they are not full of massive contracts.

The charge shrinks to $1.67 million next season and stays there through 2029. Still, there are a lot of young players to sign and Rossi might be the player left without a chair when the music stops.

Wild need to prioritize the right players this offseason

Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (23) skates with the puck during the third period of a hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

The Wild are having a great season largely because of Matt Boldy. At 23 years old, he has 20 points in 19 games and is a budding star. While Rossi can become a good pro as well, they must prioritize Boldy when forced to make a decision. With Kirill Kaprizov needing a new contract, they had to make a choice. Boldy is under contract for $7 million through 2030.

Kaprizov is the star of this Wild team and is due $9 million per season through 2026. After that, he will be in the conversation with some of the elite players in the league in terms of contract. Losing most of Parise and Suter’s charges will help, but there will need to be cuts in other parts of the roster.

Rossi had the best year of his career in 2022-23, scoring 21 goals and adding 19 assists in 82 games. He has gotten off to a slower start this year, with only five goals through 19 games. Bringing in a depth piece at the deadline by trading Rossi would not only help the Wild this year but long-term on their cap sheet.

There are plenty of teams who could use a young scorer like Rossi. The Rangers are a team who have a lot of depth pieces but could use a young scorer. That is a good match for all parties involved.

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