Wild sign Rossi to three-year, $15M after long stalemate
Published
The Minnesota Wild have signed restricted free agent Marco Rossi to a three-year, $15 million contract, ending a multi-month stalemate.
Rossi, who will now carry a $5 million cap hit, posted 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games with the Wild last season, adding two goals and one assist in six playoff games. His time on ice dropped from an average of 18:15 per game in the regular season to 11:08 in the postseason.
Reports ahead of June's draft indicated that the Vancouver Canucks offered the 15th overall pick for Rossi but were turned down by the Wild.
General manager Bill Guerin said earlier in June he was "not dying" to trade the 23-year-old forward, though he didn't close the door on a possible trade. Russo wrote at that time that the Wild had made Rossi a five-year, $25 million contract offer during the season, which was rejected and countered with a bridge deal that the Wild turned down.
“There clearly is a difference of opinion with respect to Marco’s value,” Rossi’s agent, Ian Pulver, told Russo in June. “We will continue in good faith to engage the Wild to attempt to reach resolution. We understand that Billy likes Marco, but for how much? And in what role going forward? (That) is the subject of great debate.
“Like the Wild, we believe we have advanced very fair and reasonable contract proposals. What the future holds for Marco and the Wild, only time will tell.”
The 5-foot-9 centre is coming off his three-year, entry level contract that carried an annual cap hit of $863,333.
Drafted ninth overall by the Wild in 2020, Rossi has 45 goals and 101 points in 185 career games.