Insider Drops Facts on a Potential Marco Rossi Offer Sheet

Could Marco Rossi be stolen with an offer sheet?

The Marco Rossi stalemate in Minnesota continues to drag on, as the Wild just don't want to meet the price tag the restricted free agent is looking for on his new contract. In fact, we reported last week that the two sides are in 'total shutdown mode.'

So isn't there a team standing by ready to swoop in with an offer sheet to poach the young 20-goal scorer? Insider Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report was asked, 'What would an offer sheet look like for Rossi?'. Seravalli had a rather...uh, Frank, response:

Um, you're not gonna see one. That's the answer.
I don't think anyone would be willing to step up and pay for an undersized center... I don't think (another team) could present any number that would scare off the Minnesota Wild. It would have to be a long-term deal, a five-year deal, and look something like $9.5–$10 million a year... (The rival team) would have to step up and offer something that would also throw (their) own cap out of whack. And I just don't see anyone stepping up to give Marco Rossi that kind of offer as an undersized center.

Seravalli suggests that Rossi's 5'9" stature played a role in the Wild bumping him down the lineup to the fourth line in the playoffs, and that fact simply holds him back as a top-notch earner.

Rossi made nice strides in his second full NHL regular season this past year, upping his goal-scoring from 21 to 24, while his points production took a 50% jump, from 40 points in his rookie year to 60 points. He also became a net positive in plus/minus for the first time, at +3.

What would it take to land Marco Rossi with an offer sheet?

Based on the offer sheet compensation levels, if a team offered Rossi in the $4.7M up to a $7.02M AAV, they'd have to surrender a first- and third-round pick. But again, it's not felt that the Wild would hesitate to match that. At the "$9.5-$10M AAV" range, which the insider suggests would scare off the Wild, the signing team would have to give up TWO first-rounders, a second and a third.

Again, no one sees that happening.

A trade, however, is a much more likely scenario, if the Wild can get something in return that helps them now.