Marco Rossi Done With Wild, 5 Teams Have Expressed Interest

Marco Rossi is seemingly done with the Minnesotat Wild, and 5 teams have expressed interest

One of the most talked-about pending RFAs this summer is the Minnesota Wild's Marco Rossi. Why? Because there's a distinct feeling going around that the team might not be in on giving him what he's looking for in a long-term contract, and just might not see him as a fit going forward.

Reports have Rossi asking for a seven-year deal at $7 million annually, but the Wild don't seem willing.

“At this point, based on conversations I’ve had, I really don’t see him back with the Wild,” an NHL executive source told rg.org's James Murphy.

Add to that, the mysterious and puzzling demotion of Rossi in the playoffs to the fourth line, and you can easily see a scenario where the 23-year-old looks for a fresh start elsewhere.

5 Teams have expressed interest in RFA Marco Rossi

Whether that's in the form of an offer sheet, or a trade, there are five teams that have expressed interest, per Murphy, and the list looks like this:

Philadelphia Flyers
Buffalo Sabres
Pittsburgh Penguins
Chicago Blackhawks
Seattle Kraken

“For whatever reason—I think maybe he just doesn’t fit the (Wild GM Bill) Guerin mold—there doesn’t seem to be a fit there in Minnesota,” another NHL source told Murphy. “Whatever it is, there’s a market for him right now. I think some teams see him as a real middle-six guy with a lot of upside. He may not be as physical as you’d like, but the skill is there.”

Rossi, the former 9th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, could make sense on any of the aforementioned teams. The Flyers are in desperate need of help at center; the Sabres are looking to change up their mix; Rossi fits Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas's oft-stated goal of finding younger, NHL-ready players to add to their lineup; the Blackhawks and Kraken both need to boost their offenses.

Rossi increased his point production this past season by 50% in his second full NHL campaign, going from 40 points in his rookie year, to 60 points in 2024-25, while bumping up his goal total from 21 to 24. His regular season average time on ice took a big jump to 18:15, though, as noted above, that plummeted in the playoffs, to just 11:08 TOI a night. Still, he managed to record three points in the Wild's six-game first-round series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.