On a lucky day, we won't have to discuss the whispers of a Marco Rossi trade. Unfortunately, today is not that day. With the Minnesota Wild's season coming to an end, we have some perspective on how the Wild, with limited options to strengthen their team, intend to shake things up before the start of next year. ing. Unless the Wild want to make a big, risky move involving the likes of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, Rossi is the most established NHLer to turn around.
Minnesota seems to be very open to trading Rossi. athletic Joe Smith and Michael Russo read Bill Guerin's thinking correctly. In a mailbag Wednesday, they wrote that the chances of such a deal happening are “more likely than you think.”
Why would you want a player who scored 20 points to be the center before he turns 23? “If the Wild can trade Rossi for a high-end prospect at the same level, there's a good chance they could pull the trigger on someone bigger and faster,” Smith and Russo outlined. This naturally leads to the next question.
How can I do that without losing depth in the middle?
“It doesn't have to be the center,” beat writers wrote in response to that concern. “They envision Danila Yurov playing center once he makes it to the NHL. The Wild also intend to give Riley Hite every chance to join the team in the fall.”
Lest you think this is just a theory, athletic Guerin left no room for thought as he detailed his vision on the radio. “our [defense] As long as we’re healthy, we’ll be fine,” Guerin said on Judd Zurgado’s podcast “Judd’s Hockey Show.”[At] A quick look at the Wild's under-6'0 forwards who don't have trade protection includes Kaprizov, Rossi, Marat Husnutdinov and Vinni Lettieri, who was called up to the AHL. Um oh.
It's hard to understand why a front office that monitors Rossi night after night would try to trade him, especially because he's undersized. Yes, Rossi is 5 feet 9 inches. His height chart doesn't lie. But there's a difference between him being short and being small. Much like Kaprizov, who is 5-foot-10, neither is Rossi. play small.
In January, EP Linkside's Mitch Brown provided a detailed breakdown of Rossi's game. It's easy to focus on “20 goals,'' but Brown was shocked elsewhere. “The key to Rossi's early success was not his skill level, but his subtle checking game,” he declared.
What does that check game consist of? Check out the highlight reel below where Brown praised Rossi.
Rossi is steadily growing Master of body positioning to win… evasive and deceptive Carrying a defender on your back… Initiate frequent contact Win 4 or 5 times in inside position [in a shift]… Take advantage of your physical abilities Impacts the game without touching the puck…he lift the stick and rushes the net…he Immobilize the opponent and catch their feet With his own… Rossi punish the player someone too close reverse hit. ” (Emphasis mine.)
Take “5 feet 9 inches” out of the equation for a moment. Do any of them read like small players, or are they too small to handle the rigors of the center position? No, if scouts can understand all the ways Rossi makes the most of his size and imposes his will on larger opponents, why not Guerin, a veteran of 1263 NHL games? Is it not possible?
now Let's talk about those goals. For example, there were 21 of them. There aren't many in Wild history as rare as a 20-goal center. Since the NHL began tracking faceoffs in 2007-2008, only six Wild centers have won at least 300 faceoffs and scored at least 20 goals.
please:
Joel Eriksson Ek (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24)
Eric Staal (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19)
Ryan Hartman (2021-22, 2023-24)
Mikko Koivu (2008-09, 2009-10)
Marco Rossi (2023-24)
Kyle Brodziak (2011-12)
Rossi is the youngest center on that list to reach 20 goals. The only center that can match that is Koivu, who scored 20 goals in his 23-year-old season. All others were over 25 years old. It's very rare in Minnesota history for Rossi to be so good offensively and so fast while doing his job defensively.
Again, you have to consider being short and playing small. The goals Rossi scores aren't on the perimeter, and he doesn't shy away from the hardest areas of the ice. Like Erickson Ek, who weighs 6 inches and weighs 25 pounds. His Austrian rival Rossi thrives in front of the net. Rossi's 5-on-5 goals averaged 14.76 feet, three feet closer to the net than Eriksson Ek (17.52 feet).
Next, it must be mentioned that 18 of Rossi's 21 goals came in five-on-five play. This matches Boldy and ties him for second place in the Wild (behind Kaprizov). But it's even better than that. Rossi finished the year tied for 39th in the NHL in 5-on-5 goals against, alongside traditional power forwards such as Boldy (6-foot-2), Alex Tuch (6-foot-4) and Brandon Saad (6-foot). 1), Brock Boeser (6-foot-1), Owen Tippett (6-foot-1).
Among the centers, Rossi looks even better. This is evidenced by the total number of 5-on-5 goals scored by players who have taken over 400 faceoffs.
1) Auston Matthews: 38
2) Nathan McKinnon: 36
3) Braden Point: 28
4) Sidney Crosby: 23
T-5) Brock Nelson: 22
T-5) Wyatt Johnston: 22
T-7) JT Miller: 20
T-7) Tyler Seguin: 20
T-9) Connor McDavid: 19
T-9) Evgeni Malkin: 19
T-9) Jason Dickinson: 19
T-12) Marco Rossi: 18
T-12) Nico Hischier: 18
T-15) Bo Horvat: 17
T-15) Nick Bjugstad: 17
T-15) Nick Suzuki: 17
Despite many seeing him as a promising playmaker, Rossi's scoring is no fluke. He ranked 70th in the NHL in expected goals scored with 15.1, ahead of players like Tim Stuetzle, Kevin Fiala, Ryan O'Reilly and Suzuki. Not only is that a sustained success, but it's also something he can use as a stepping stone to a real breakout year.
Guerin and the Wild's front office were able to watch all 82 of Rossi's games. They need to understand all the subtleties that make up his game and make him play much bigger than what is listed on the height and weight chart. If Minnesota cannot ignore his 5-foot-9 height and trade him for that reason, it would not only be a short-sighted move, but it could also be a major failure in personnel evaluation.
