It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers will be looking for help down the middle this summer but they won’t be the only ones looking for young productive centres.
One player in particular that will be in high-demand should he become available is Minnesota Wild’s centre Marco Rossi. The soon-to-be 24-year-old enjoyed a career-year during the regular season but was demoted to fourth line duties during their first round matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Rossi has been apart of trade chatter for quite some time as both player and team have found it difficult to find common ground on playing time, role, and now a new contract. After an unsettling playoff round, which led to their 8th straight first round defeat, there’s a good chance he’s on the move this summer and the Flyers should be right there in the mix.
Wild reporters Michael Russo and Joe Smith dissected the situation and mentioned that the Austrian rejected a 5-year deal this winter and that the same deal is most likely not on the table anymore.
Some believe that he will be looking to cash in on a similar deal that Matthew Coronato signed with the Calgary Flames recently, which was 7 years in term and worth $6.5 million annually after his sophomore season saw him net 24 goals and 47 points.
“There’s no doubt this will make contract negotiations on a potential next contract much more complicated. The Wild offered Rossi a five-year contract in the wintertime, one he didn’t accept. It’s unclear if that would even be on the table anymore, but it doesn’t seem the Wild want to commit longer-term with Rossi. And the way he was deployed in the playoffs may also mean the ship has sailed on Rossi’s willingness to sign a shorter-term bridge deal.”
They mention that the Wild more than likely will be inclined in going with a bridge deal but that’s not probably not something Rossi will be looking for after a 60-point season that saw him score 24 goals during the regular season.
Rossi was drafted 9th overall by the Wild during the 2020 NHL Entry Draft after lighting up the OHL with 39 goals and 120 points in just 56 games for the Ottawa 67s. In between 2021-22 and 2022-23 he potted 34 goals and 104 points in 116 games for the Iowa Wild but only managed 1 point in 21 games at the NHL-level.
He then took a big step in his official rookie season when he totalled 40 points in a full 82-game season in 2023-24. He improved to the tune of 3 goals and 20 points and averaged 1:29 more per game in 2024-25 but saw limited minutes in the post-season.
His usage was up this year in part due to injuries as the Wild were without players like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek for long periods of time. They both returned near the very end of the season and Ryan Hartman had also elevated his game against Vegas, which got him promoted into the top-6, which had a hand in his ice-time (11:03 ATOI) during the playoffs.
The Wild will be entering the summer with $20.59 million in cap space with Marcus Johansson, Gustav Nyquist, Justin Brazeau, and Jon Merrill as their pending UFAs and Rossi and Declan Chisholm as their pending RFAs. They’re not necessarily tight on cap space but they do have to peek into a Kaprizov extension as he will be eligible to sign one come July 1st.
It’s an important tidbit because the Russian superstar could be in line for a massive pay day that would be in the realm of $15-16 million annually according to Russo and Smith. Fortunately the cap will be jumping another $8.5 million the following summer but that’s still a large contract to fit into the equation.
“Our gut says the Wild get a deal done with him. After all, when they put an eight-year deal worth $120 or $128 million on the table this offseason, that type of security should be enticing for a player who just missed half the season due to injury.”
Trying to figure out a deal for Rossi will be an important stepping stone into getting a deal for Kaprizov but now the question that should be posed is whether or not Rossi wants to stick around.
“Does Rossi, a pending restricted free agent who is offer-sheet eligible, even want to re-sign when it looks like his future in Minnesota isn’t in the top six or on the top power play?
“You live and learn when it comes to the postseason, so Rossi will likely be much better in his next try. The question is whether the next try comes with Minnesota.”
The Wild won’t just toss him to the curb but they will definitely be fielding offers from now to July 1st and the Flyers have had serious interest in him in previous years. It was reported that they had asked for Rossi in preliminary trade talks with the Wild over Claude Giroux in 2021-22 and had circled back when they were shopping Cutter Gauthier.
He’s the perfect fit for what the Flyers are looking for as he immediately becomes their 1C, a true power play specialist, fits their age-group and what they’re looking for in their core players, and can play alongside Matvei Michkov, which is something they’re desperately looking for at the moment.
The Wild don’t have to do anything drastic considering he’s an RFA and if teams do send offer sheets, they will be in line for substantial compensation.
– Between $4,580,918 – $6,871,374 requires a 2026 first and third round pick
– Between $6,871,375 – $9,161,834 requires a 2026 first, second, and third round pick
If any team comes with an offer above $6.5 million it will cost them anywhere between a first and third round pick in 2026 or a first, second, and third round pick in 2026. It’s almost an impossibility that a team will come below $6.5 if they’re seriously interested but if they decide to go $300K or more they have to add a second round pick into the mix.
Not every team has their own picks for 2026, which is something the Flyers can hold as an advantage over some of their competitors. However in reality, a trade is probably going to be easier for both parties and the Flyers do have a lot of draft capital if that is something the Wild are interested in.
If they’re looking for NHL ready players that can match and replace Rossi today, they might be out of luck since the Flyers don’t have that in abundance. Nevertheless, they’ve worked out deals before just as recently as the 2024 draft when the Wild moved up one spot and selected Zeev Buium while also giving the Flyers a third round pick in 2025.
As for Rossi, he’s well aware of the trade talks but is leaving it up to his agent to figure things out, however he reiterates that he’s going to digest the season and move forward.
“Asked if he’s worried he could be traded, Rossi said, ‘I’m not thinking about that right now. Like I said, playoffs were just finished. As a player, you’re not happy that you lost. So I’m still digesting that. And after that, I’m gonna rest now and I’m going to have a clear mind, and then you will think about those stuff.’”
Look for the Flyers to be in the mix for Rossi this summer as they expect to be aggressively hunting a legitimate young centre. If they can land the Austrian-international it would be a massive get for Daniel Brière and company as they continue to pave the way during their rebuild.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login