Jets Should Target Marco Rossi in Trade

He played 82 games again, but this time his production increased. Rossi recorded 24 goals and 60 points, finishing second in team scoring behind Matt Boldy (73 points). This is where it becomes confusing as to why his name would even be out there as a trade target. Who trades a 60-point, 23-year-old center when he’s really coming into his own?

The key here is that Rossi is up for an extension, and naturally, he’s going to be looking at how the team handled Boldy’s extension just two seasons ago. Boldy, who put up 63 points in the final year of his entry-level contract, signed a seven-year deal worth $49 million when he became extension-eligible.

Rossi is reportedly looking for something in that range as well, but there appears to be more hesitancy from the team on this one. With there being an opening now for teams to swoop in, expect a lot of interest.

Rossi Could Solve Jets’ Persistent Second-Line Center Problem

This is all contingent on the Wild being willing to deal a talented, young center to a division rival, but the Jets should be willing to pay a steep price to try and extend their current contention window that hasn’t resulted in any real playoff success. No offense to Namestnikov, because he’s been a useful Swiss-Army knife for the Jets, but that’s an area in need of a clear upgrade.

Their next man up has been Adam Lowry, who has been great in that role, but can still be upgraded in the offensive sense. That said, Lowry won’t even be available to start the season as he recovers from hip surgery.

Last season, the discussion was whether Brad Lambert was ready to step in and be a useful top-six center. That no longer seems to be the case for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I’m not sure the Jets see him as a center. For nearly the entire season with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, Lambert was shifted to the wing in favor of players like Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Dominic Toninato. That’s not exactly the move of an organization that wants to develop the next franchise center.

Second, his sophomore professional season was a big step back from where he was in his rookie year, when he put up 21 goals and 55 points in 64 games as the top center. In 2024-25, Lambert finished with just seven goals and 35 points on a struggling Moose team. Now, some of this can be attributed to the overall team play being a step back from the year prior, but from watching, there was a big difference in his play as well as he shifted to wing.

Naturally, with the internal upgrades not moving the needle, an external approach may be needed. Hypothetically, let’s say the Jets deal a first and a prospect for Rossi contingent on an extension. Suddenly, you have your second-line center for at least the next several years. Plus, this deal works whether Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers stays or goes. If he leaves, you will have acquired a similar point production. If he stays, then suddenly that second line could be even more dangerous.

Is it Realistic?

Rossi is a restricted free agent without a contract, so any deal would be contingent on Rossi agreeing to stay in Winnipeg long term. With a pretty clear shot at being the second-line center and the potential heir-apparent to Mark Scheifele, that’s a decent vision to sell to a player. He has no official trade protection, but the contract talks act like one.

Asset-wise, the Jets spending to acquire an extended Rossi would be a great investment. A young, productive, and durable center with team control? Any team would love that, especially when the cap is set to rise over the coming years.

It’s now a matter of how serious Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is about addressing the needs the Jets have to get them over that hump. It’s not often a player of Rossi’s caliber is available, and it’s even rarer when they fit an exact need.