By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter / X @RyanJBosworth
Marco Rossi, a 23-year-old center for the Minnesota Wild, is a former first-round draft pick who went 9th overall in the 2020 National Hockey League Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season, and only played 21 games through his first two seasons.
His first 82-game season would come in the 2023-24 campaign and he’d go on to post 21-19-40. He’d follow up with a 20-point increase in the 2024-25 season, posting 24-36-60 through another full 82-game season.
Rossi is coming off of his entry-level contract with an annual average value of $863,334, and as Jimmy Murphy of RG Media reported in a recent article, it’s “anticipated that Rossi will aim for a new contract worth at least $3 million annually.” The Feldkirch, Austria, native is set to become a restricted free agent July 1st, but it seems unlikely it’ll reach that point.
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Murphy reported that Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin “doesn’t want to doesn’t want to let it slide until July 1 when he can’t dictate the terms as much,” meaning if it’s clear Rossi isn’t going to resign, he’s going to look to trade him before it can reach the point of getting an offer-sheet for Rossi to maximize the return.
Should the Bruins Pursue Rossi?
A trade package is likely to be hefty for the young center, as he’s still only 23 years old and continuing to improve his production every season, but Boston has a lot of capital. They can likely make a trade happen that would fit Minnesota’s needs.
The Fourth Period reported that Boston was one of the teams with “varying degrees of interest in Rossi,” and among others were Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers.
Rossi is viewed as a top-six center, with some going as far as saying he’s a bona fide first-line center. Whether it’s the first or second line, Rossi is a young player with a high potential ceiling. He can put the puck in the net, but can also create plays and find the open space when out on the ice.
There’s one clear reason the Bruins may not enter the Rossi conversation: his size. He’s on the smaller side, standing at 5’9″ and weighing 182 pounds. That stature of player doesn’t exactly fit the Bruins’ ‘mold.’ With that, it would be a short-sighted move to pass on Rossi simply because of his size, especially after looking at how he can perform on the ice despite being slightly undersized.
Pair a player like Rossi with wingers like David Pastrnak, or a top-six winger acquired in free agency, and good things will happen when they’re on the ice.
What’s unclear from Minnesota’s standpoint is what they would ask in exchange for Rossi. A former top-ten draft pick who’s yet to reach his prime is likely going to get a first-round draft pick in return, along with an NHL roster player and likely an additional second or third-round pick.
It would be wise for the Bruins to try and make a trade that doesn’t involve giving away their seventh overall pick in the 2025 draft, as they have a surplus of draft capital right now. A future first-rounder would be more appealing from the Bruins’ side of things, but it’s still unclear as to what Minnesota would want in return. Regardless, Rossi is a player that the Bruins need to inquire on if they want to stay away from their ‘retool’ becoming a ‘rebuild.’
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