Potential Canucks trade target Marco Rossi extends with Wild

Rossi was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his three-year, entry-level contract with an $863,334 cap hit. He wasn’t a certainty to return to the Wild after falling out of favour with head coach John Hynes in the playoffs, and the fact that his initial asking price was not what Minnesota were comfortable to sign him to.

There were rumours of potential trades and offer sheets for Rossi, but none came to fruition, so Minnesota came to an agreement on a bridge deal with the Feldkirch, Austria product. This signing doesn’t completely take him off the market, as it’s possible that he becomes a more attractive asset with a set price tag for the next three seasons, but the fact that a deal hasn’t happened yet means he at least starts the season in Minnesota.

Rossi did have the season to back up a much pricier deal, as he broke out with 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 82 games. However, that came in a top six role primarily with the likes of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello driving that production, so the Wild didn’t view him as a playdriver worthy of a higher salary. That was further proven by his demotion to the fourth line in the playoffs, where he had just two goals and one assist for three points in six games.

Rossi was looked at as a potential target for the Vancouver Canucks, who are still looking for potential center options for the 2025-26 season. Right now, it’s looking like Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil will be the Canucks’ top two centers, although Vancouver will be looking to bring in a stronger top six option that can push Chytil down to a third line role.

The Canucks have had a hole in the middle of their top six after trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers back in January. While they would have loved to keep Miller and had a one-two punch of him and Pettersson for their center depth, a well-documented feud between the two centers had left their locker room in such a toxic state that they had no choice but to move one of them. They did get Chytil in return in that trade, but Vancouver doesn’t quite view him as a strong top-six option at this point in his career, especially with his injury history.