Just when most Minnesota Wild fans thought the offseason would be quiet until the start of free agency on July 1st, Marco Rossi’s name appeared on almost every NHL team’s trade board. With the season he had, many Wild fans were surprised to see his name come up as a trade offer, but it had been stated before by Michael Russo of The Athletic on his podcast “Worst Seats in the House” with Anthony Lapanta, that Rossi and his agent were struggling to agree on contract terms with the Wild.
During Rossi’s exit interview, when asked about staying with the Wild while he said he wasn’t sure if he was staying or going, his tone of voice and body language made it appear he was likely exploring other options than staying. After being put on the fourth line in the postseason, it was obvious he wasn’t happy, and with his hesitation in exit interviews, it’ll be interesting to see what happens. In this article, we’ll look at whether the Wild should go through with trading him or try to sign him, starting with a trade.
Rossi Needs to be Traded
While Rossi had a great season, and at first I thought it was crazy to try and trade him, after seeing his expressions at the exit interviews, he wasn’t excited about the chance to stay. It’s never good to have a player on the team who isn’t happy about staying, and if the Wild don’t want to be left empty-handed with Rossi, they need to make a trade.
He is a restricted free agent, which means if he doesn’t agree to terms with the Wild on a contract before July 1st, he can see offer sheets from other teams. The Wild can choose to match one of those offers and sign Rossi to the same amount, or they can deny the offers, let Rossi sign with another team, and take draft picks in his place. However, that will only happen if the Wild can’t trade him prior to July 1st.
So, why should the Wild try to trade him instead of taking the draft picks? Because they need players currently and don’t have the time to wait for their draft picks to mature eventually. They have been lucky with a couple of draft picks being NHL-ready pretty much immediately, but that’s pretty rare. The Wild are just a piece or two away from getting past the first round and trying to make a run for it, but that means they need players now, which means trades or free agency, not draft picks.
Rossi May Be Signed
It’s highly unlikely at this point, but during their exit interviews, general…
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