The Minnesota Wild are entering this offseason with arguably one of the most attractive trade pieces in their organization. All signs point to the Wild moving on from 23-year-old forward Marco Rossi with his name already appearing in the rumor mill.
While the Wild will do what they can to pull off a move, there seems to be one pretty big obstacle in the way. According to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, Rossi’s contract demands might force certain teams to walk away from trade talks.
“Rossi’s camp is looking for a contract similar to that of Matthew Boldy in the seven-year, $49 million range,” Di Marco said. “By all accounts, that price is too expensive for GM Bill Guerin’s taste, and he has at least begun to take calls on Rossi.”
If that price is too rich for Guerin’s blood, there are sure to be other general managers with the same feeling.
Di Marco notes that the Wild have been in touch with the Philadelphia Flyers for quite some time regarding a possible Rossi trade. The Flyers, however, have continued to look in other directions, citing Rossi’s contract demand as a sticking point.
“According to a team source, the Wild were asking for one of the later-round picks last season when the two sides engaged briefly on Rossi discussions,” Di Marco writes. “The Flyers had no appetite for it then and remain steadfast in the same belief now. Furthermore, the 7×7 contract demand from the Rossi camp has also scared off the Flyers from even reaching out to the Wild to talk trade at this time.”
Some teams might find value in a 23-year-old with a ton of upside at that price. With the salary cap expected to grow exponentially over the next three seasons, $7 million for a 20+ goal scorer might become the norm.
At least for the Flyers, that’s too much for Rossi and is talents. Rossi is still a developing player and has a ton of room to grow, but it’s not a guarantee the five-foot-nine center reaches his full potential.
There will certainly be teams interested, it's just a question of who will be willing to take on the possible high contract demand?
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Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Callan Foote, Michael McLeod and Alex Formenton have been found not guilty by Justice Maria Carroccia in London, Ontario, according to reporting from The Athletic, after being charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault involving the 2018 Canadian men’s national junior team. Carroccia said that she did not find E.M.’s [the alleged victim] evidence “credible or reliable,” in explaining her reasoning. “Having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M. and then considering the evidence in this trial as a whole, I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me,” Carroccia said. The allegations against Dube, Foote, Formenton, Hart and McLeod first became public in May of 2022, when reports emerged that Hockey Canada had paid to settle a lawsuit with a woman, known in court documents as E.M., who said she was sexually assaulted by eight players “over several hours” in a London hotel room on July 18, 2018. No charges were levied as a result of the initial investigation by local police, which was closed in February 2019, but the case was reopened after the 2022 report. Formal charges were then brought against the five defendants on Jan. 30, 2024. The trial began on April 22, 2025, and the verdicts were reached solely by Justice Carroccia after two mistrials influenced her to dismiss the jury. The NHL does not have a formal policy for players accused of or charged with domestic violence, sexual assault or similar crimes. Instead, the four players who were under NHL contracts at the time – Dube, Foote, Hart and McLeod – were granted indefinite leaves of absence by their clubs shortly before the charges were announced. All of them were pending restricted free agents on expiring contracts and were not extended qualifying offers, making them unrestricted free agents as of July 1, 2024. When asked about the playing eligibility of the defendants, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has continually deferred action until after a verdict was reached. While none of the players are formally suspended by the league, similar situations have routinely required some sort of permission from league offices for them to play in or return to the NHL. If teams approach any of them with a contract offer, they will presumably wait for that guidance before registering the deal.
Since taking over as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders, John Spytek and Raiders Head Coach, Pete Carroll, have emphasized how critical it will be for them to establish a new culture for their team. After years of subpar play, the Raiders needed to improve their culture equally as much as they needed to improve their roster. Spytek wasted no time significantly improving the Raiders' roster, adding Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty this offseason. Although a culture change usually takes more than offseason, the Raiders may have expedited the process by releasing veteran defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. The organization and Wilkins were not on the same page in regard to his rehab, pushing the Raiders to make a drastic move. While drastic, the move appears to align with Spytek's intended composition of the Raiders' roster. At the NFL Combine months before Wilkins' recent release, the Raiders' general manager explained what he would take into consideration when assembling the Raiders' roster. While Spytek likely figured Wilkins would be part of the team at the time, his words rang true following the veteran defensive tackle's release. “I think we're going to have a lot of positive energy. The guys that love to compete and play with passion are going to have a chance at our place. And the guys that maybe don't have that love of the game, they like it, it's a means to an end, there probably won't be as many places or spaces for them at our place," Spytek said. "I think we want to set the tone with our film. When people watch a week or two out for our games coming, like they want to know, like this is going to be a battle, this is going to be physical, this is going to be old-school football." It is challenging to maintain positive energy when a player who has only played five games with the Silver and Black fails to uphold their end of a contract worth over $100 million. Shortly after releasing Wilkins, the Raiders issued the following statement. "We have decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins. This franchise has a Commitment to Excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season." The Raiders' words spoke loudly enough, but they did not say nearly as loudly as the actual move of releasing Wilkins. Full details of why the Raiders decided to move on from Wilkins after just one season remain unclear, but one thing is clear: the Raiders' new-look front office means business. Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and weigh in on this take. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss this take
The New York Yankees have made their 2025 goals abundantly clear: They're trying to return to the World Series and win it all. In an effort to do so, the Pinstripes traded pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin to the Milwaukee Brewers this season, adding closer Devin Williams to the roster. Halfway into the season, it looks like that was a big mistake. The Yankees are now looking to fill gaps in the both the bullpen and the infield before the MLB trade deadline rolls around at the end of the month. Utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera was great at third base, but suffered a potentially season-ending injury in May. The Yankees tried to compensate by shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third, but it was clear Chisholm excels at second, and he's since been moved back. Durbin, on the other hand, has only gotten better in Milwaukee. "Over 75 games this season, Durbin is slashing .265/.350/.382 with five homers and elite contact skills at the plate," Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media wrote. "He ranks in the 95th percentile in whiff rate and 98th in strikeout rate — rare company for a young infielder. Durbin’s advanced plate discipline would’ve been invaluable in a Yankees lineup that too often leans on boom-or-bust approaches." Then there's Devin Williams, who has been part of a shaky-at-best Yankees bullpen. He has certainly seen improvement since the beginning of the season, when he was pulled from closing duties after a blown save to the Yankees' division rival Toronto Blue Jays. However, it hasn't been quite enough. Toronto swept New York in a four game series earlier this month, securing their lead of the AL east over the Pinstripes. Williams pitched the final inning, giving up two earned runs. He has a 4.82 ERA over 37.1 innings pitched in 41 games. Williams keeps improving, and hopefully will prove that the Yankees made the right choice by acquiring him. However, that still doesn't fill the gaping hole New York has at third base, and they're likely missing Durbin's consistent abilities in the field and at the plate. The Yankees have until the July 31 MLB trade deadline to make any trades to address these issues. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Cam Schlittler is Not Yankees Paul Skenes Yankees Fighting Red Sox for Diamondbacks Pitchers Yankees’ Aaron Judge Ties Alex Rodriguez on All-Time List Braves Troll Yankees' Jazz Chisholm With Walk-Up Song Yankees in Trade Talks With Pirates
Following a troubling injury update, Caitlin Clark isn't coming back to rescue the Indiana Fever anytime soon. But Aliyah Boston still can. On Thursday, the Fever announced that Clark remains out with a groin injury and has no timetable for a return. In a social media post, the team emphasized prioritizing "her long-term health and well-being," suggesting the organization won't cut corners in getting Clark back on the court. Indiana won't be title contenders without its star guard, but Boston's continued growth into one of the league's best players should keep it from falling out of the playoff picture. This season, Boston, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 WNBA Draft, ranks second in the league in win shares (4.5), trailing only MVP favorite Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (5.8). Boston is averaging 15.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and one block per game. She has the fourth-highest player efficiency rating (PER), only trailing Collier, Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. Per Across The Timeline, she's one of seven players in league history with 1,500 points before turning 24 and is only improving. On June 24, she scored a career-high 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting in a win over the Seattle Storm. In that game, Clark struggled, going 3-of-13 from the court, including 0-of-6 on three-point attempts, and turning the ball over eight times. It was Boston and veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell, who had 26 points, who led the Fever when their star wasn't at her best. The Fever need Clark for them to reach their full potential, but until then, Boston must lead the way. She's arguably been Indiana's best player all season, something she'll have to continue being until Clark returns.
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