Apr 24, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (23) leads the team to the bench after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period in game three of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Canucks, Kraken Zero In on Wild RFA

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Minnesota Wild and restricted free agent Marco Rossi have yet to agree on a new contract, openeing the door for a pair of Western Conference foes to return for further trade talks. As NHL training camps and the preseason near, time is running out for Rossi and the Wild to agree to new terms. All summer long, teams have kept tabs on the young scorer, but there’s speculation that two teams in particular are set to make a stronger push in the coming weeks.

The Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks are the two teams reportedly pursuing the Wild center. Jimmy Murphy of RG has paid close attention to the situation, and according to multiple NHL sources, these two teams made it known that they wanted to circle back if contract talks were still stalled at this point of the summer . August is ending, and both the Kraken and Canucks want to bolster their forward depth before the 2025-2026 season begins.

“Both were in on Rossi leading into and at the NHL Entry Draft,” the source said. “and until probably mid-July, and I’m hearing that they’ve made it clear that if it gets to the point in the next month, where contract talks between Rossi and the Wild reach a point of no return, they want to see what it would take to acquire Rossi.”

The source also pitched a potential return package for the Wild if the Kraken are their preferred trade partner. It starts with former 30-goal scorer Jared McCann going back the other way from Seattle.

”I think you make McCann the centerpiece of a package going back to Minnesota,” the source told RG. “He definitely fits what Guerin wants, and he can play center, too, if they need. The Kraken have a ton of middle-six guys, but how about a 1-2 punch of Beniers and Rossi? So maybe they can find a match.”

Rossi is coming off another strong season for Minnesota. In his two full seasons in the league, the former first-round pick has shown a steady increase in offensive production. As a rookie, he netted 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points in 82 games, and followed that up with 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points this past season. He’s a legitimate top-six forward in the NHL, and it’s not clear if he’s hit his offensive ceiling yet.

Which makes it all the more strange why another organization hasn’t found a way to acquire Rossi from the Wild and that he and Minnesota remain so far off on contract talks. With the preseason rapidly approaching, the Wild and Rossi are barreling toward a standoff as no resolution appears in sight.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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