Player Discussion Marco Rossi

[Wabit]

To start the season I'd rather space out the top-6 instead of having one line that is playing 22 mins every game.

Injuries will probably force MN to a 1 line team at some point in the season.

 

[AKL]

Kaprizov-Rossi-Zuccarello
Boldy-Yurov-Hartman
Öhgren-Ek-Foligno
Trenin-Gaudreau-Johansson

Any FA or trade could move Zuccarello down to 4RW and Johansson to 13F

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

For the love of god, Guerin needs to get better wingers than Zucc and Johansson for those roles.

I don’t think anyone would complain where Rossi/Ek/Yurov would play if we had three solid winger combinations. For example:

Kaprizov-XXXX-Boldy
Duchene-XXXX-Tuch
Ohgren-XXXX-Hartman
Foligno-Gaudreau-Trenin

All they have to do is put an aggressive trade package in for Tuch and convince Duchene that we are right there.

BONUS: we still have the center versatility I’m after with Duchene and Hartman playing wing.

Aside from finding a Barkov or a Hedman, that would be quite a nice problem solver.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

To start the season I'd rather space out the top-6 instead of having one line that is playing 22 mins every game.

Injuries will probably force MN to a 1 line team at some point in the season.

I don't think you need to play them 22. Probably just a 19-16-14-11 split would suffice, excluding special teams.

 

[Wabit]

I don't think you need to play them 22. Probably just a 19-16-14-11 split would suffice, excluding special teams.

Kap played less than 20 mins in 7 games last year. He had 22+mins 25 times. In 41 games.

 

[Webster]

Zuccarello had 54 points in 69 games last season, he's certainly a top 6 player on this team. Kaprizov even said Zucc is the best playmaker here, and his passing is also elite.

So cut the nonsense, Zucc may actually start on the top line with Kap again next season. But I think Boldy should stay up there, and Zucc on the 2nd.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Kap played less than 20 mins in 7 games last year. He had 22+mins 25 times. In 41 games.

Yeah, I would aim at not doing that again, if I can help it.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Zuccarello had 54 points in 69 games last season, he's certainly a top 6 player on this team. Kaprizov even said Zucc is the best playmaker here, and his passing is also elite.

So cut the nonsense, Zucc may actually start on the top line with Kap again next season. But I think Boldy should stay up there, and Zucc on the 2nd.

I just think his mentorship would be very useful to Yurov, to get the best out of his first year.

 

[Webster]

I just think his mentorship would be very useful to Yurov, to get the best out of his first year.

That's true enough, if there's a guy who can replace Zucc's production up there and remove some of the pressure on him. Maybe a top 6 RW in a possible Rossi trade.

 

[Luceni]

Connor Bedard, if you count him as a center (terrible defensively, horrendous faceoffs, butttttt 61 and 67 points), did it at 18 and 19 years old.

So we are comparing 9OA pick Rossi to Connor Bedard now, a former 1st overall pick who was meant to be the next generational talent? You still can't see that you see all of Rossis weaknesses but you can't accept the accomplishments he's made so far. All you can see is negativity.

Which other center do u know aside from Bedard, who has managed to be on the All-Rookie team in his Rookie year and hit 60p in his following sophmore year? I guess it only can be a handful of players.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

So we are comparing 9OA pick Rossi to Connor Bedard now, a former 1st overall pick who was meant to be the next generational talent? You still can't see that you see all of Rossis weaknesses but you can't accept the accomplishments he's made so far. All you can see is negativity.

Which other center do u know aside from Bedard, who has managed to be on the All-Rookie team in his Rookie year and hit 60p in his following sophmore year? I guess it only can be a handful of players.

I'm not sure of the worst names to do it, but it happens quite frequently with the higher enders.

Tyler Johnson did it, if we're looking for another smaller guy. He might be the "worst" name.

 

[Wabit]

So we are comparing 9OA pick Rossi to Connor Bedard now, a former 1st overall pick who was meant to be the next generational talent? You still can't see that you see all of Rossis weaknesses but you can't accept the accomplishments he's made so far. All you can see is negativity.

Which other center do u know aside from Bedard, who has managed to be on the All-Rookie team in his Rookie year and hit 60p in his following sophmore year? I guess it only can be a handful of players.

It's fair to include Bedard in this. He was the Calder winner and also on the same all rookie team.

I had to look up the all rookie team lists to see who was on past teams.

There are actually a lot of centers that put up 60p in their 2nd season. And even more that didn't make the team that do this.

The all rookie team seems like a nice feather in your cap, but that's about it (imo). I hold a similar opinion about making the All Star game roster.

 

[Wabit]

I'm not sure of the worst names to do it, but it happens quite frequently with the higher enders.

Tyler Johnson did it, if we're looking for another smaller guy. He might be the "worst" name.

TJ stood out to me too. I had forgotten how good his first couple of seasons in the league were.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

TJ stood out to me too. I had forgotten how good his first couple of seasons in the league were.

He and Palat both made it from the same team (same line I think). Kucherov didn’t. Go figure.

 

[Wabit]

He and Palat both made it from the same team (same line I think). Kucherov didn’t. Go figure.

Meh, Kuch didn't have a great rookie season, 18p in 52 games. Palat had 59p and TJ 50p while playing full seasons.

Kuemper got as many votes (1) as Barkov that year. MacKinnion ran away with it getting all but 7 1st place votes.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

So we are comparing 9OA pick Rossi to Connor Bedard now, a former 1st overall pick who was meant to be the next generational talent? You still can't see that you see all of Rossis weaknesses but you can't accept the accomplishments he's made so far. All you can see is negativity.

Which other center do u know aside from Bedard, who has managed to be on the All-Rookie team in his Rookie year and hit 60p in his following sophmore year? I guess it only can be a handful of players.

lol. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize answering the question you asked was going to trigger you so much.

-Macklin Celebrini (likely will)
-Trevor Zegras
-Wyatt Johnston
-Josh Norris (close enough, was injured)
-Nick Suzuki (paced 60 in a Covid shortened year)
-Elias Pettersson
-Matthew Barzal
-Auston Matthews
-Jack Eichel
-Connor McDavid
-Tyler Johnson
-Logan Couture
-John Tavares
-Matt Duchene
-Jonathan Toews

I’m not sure what we are gaining from this. Rossi is not like most of the players on this list. Most of these guys are all rookie team followed by 60+ points in their 20 and 21 year old seasons. Not 22 and 23 year old seasons. Johnson is the one guy that sticks out. He did it in his 23 and 24 year old seasons.

Should we compare Rossi’s 23 year old season to the above mentioned players’ 23 year old seasons?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

So we're now down to 2 guys in the UFA class that are no doubt better players than Rossi for the 2025-26 season: Tavares and Bennet. Both pretty likely to re-sign with their teams, but if they don't, both likely command more than Rossi on their deals, Tavares probably $8M+ shorter term, Bennett potentially $9M+ middle/longer term.

 

[KaprizovSaveUs]

So we're now down to 2 guys in the UFA class that are no doubt better players than Rossi for the 2025-26 season: Tavares and Bennet. Both pretty likely to re-sign with their teams, but if they don't, both likely command more than Rossi on their deals, Tavares probably $8M+ shorter term, Bennett potentially $9M+ middle/longer term.

This offseason couldn’t be unfolding worse for the trade Rossi crowd. No centers are available and Rossi doesn’t have the value many had hoped right now.

 

[AKL]

Not sure how realistic a trade of Rossi+ for an upgrade at center even is. Doesn't sound like there's a lot available. Still though, I'm moderately concerned Guerin is going to get desperate and do something dumb, like trade Rossi for a lesser center just because he's more defensive leaning. We really don't have the wingers to make something like that work.

Think the longer this goes on, the more Rossi is gonna have the upper hand in negotiations. Still though, think the best thing for both sides is to find an AAV that works on a 4 year deal.

 

[AKL]

and Rossi doesn’t have the value many had hoped right now.

I'm not convinced this is true, if only because it doesn't sound like they're even considering a pure futures trade, and it sounds like most teams don't really want to move good pieces off their roster, they want to move futures to add to their roster.

 

[KaprizovSaveUs]

I'm not convinced this is true, if only because it doesn't sound like they're even considering a pure futures trade, and it sounds like most teams don't really want to move good pieces off their roster, they want to move futures to add to their roster.

I’m pretty convinced it’s true, but as it becomes a sellers market with so many teams having an influx of cap space and so few players available, maybe that will change. But, again, it’d probably have to be a futures deal to maximize.

 

[Wild11MN]

This offseason couldn’t be unfolding worse for the trade Rossi crowd. No centers are available and Rossi doesn’t have the value many had hoped right now.

This is why I am having a hard time seeing him traded at this point. It just doesn't make sense.

 

[HotDish]

This is why I am having a hard time seeing him traded at this point. It just doesn't make sense.

That hasn’t stopped front offices from doing stupid things before.

 

[AKL]

Posting this here to try to keep most Rossi discussion in one place:

To trade Rossi, the Wild would want back an NHL player who can replace the 60 points they’d be trading away. Guerin has made it clear that he doesn’t want to make his team worse, so he would be willing to take a center who can produce for Rossi or a winger who can produce and then look for a center in a secondary deal. For instance, the Wild have shown a lot of interest in the Buffalo Sabres’ JJ Peterka, who is considered a winger by his current team.

The problem is, as far as we know, Guerin has so far been offered mostly futures for Rossi. While Guerin would likely take a player and a first-rounder and perhaps flip the first-rounder elsewhere, he definitely doesn’t want just a first-rounder.

I'll say, unless Peterka specifically ends up being the trade, I don't see where there would be a deal that makes us equally good or better both short and long term is.

Rossi for Peterka is a lateral move where we move talent from the middle to the wing, that shouldn't really be the goal for any team, but fine, let's go with it. You don't get extra assets to flip back in that deal, so you're flipping your own or signing a free agent, both things you could do while keeping Rossi at center. That's a true lateral move.

Compare it to the Foerster+1st thing, and for the sake of discussion let's just pretend that's what he was looking for in return. Well you're again moving talent from the middle to the wing, this time you're losing production as well. But you get the 1st you can flip, but how many teams are actually looking to trade good centers for a late 1st? If you get a player like Pageau, overall you might be gaining slightly more offense, but Pageau is a bandaid and then you're back to Rossi for Foerster, a long term downgrade.

I don't see how trading Rossi for anything short of a clear upgrade actually improves this teams chances at making a playoff run. I just hope Guerin isn't more desperate than he is smart. You can come to an agreement with Rossi, bring in a free agent winger, and live to die another day. There's no reason to rush into a Rossi trade before July 1, or even this summer.

 

[ctmagic]

I wouldn’t be mad if Rossi was moved for Peterka and we signed or traded for a really good 2c/3c kind of player but that doesn’t really boost the O much. What if we traded something like Ohgren for Geekie on top of it?

Kap Yurov Zucc
Boldy Geekie Peterka
Foligno Ek Hartman
Johansson Gaudreau Trenin

I’d be pretty jacked about that lineup