It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. We’re in the middle of the summer, but there’s still plenty to talk about. There may not be a lot of signings or trades to announce. However, teams are still working hard behind the scenes. General managers are trying to still do plenty of heavy lifting as they try to configure their rosters for the upcoming season. Some of these roster decisions may be harder than others in the coming weeks.
One team that has to find a solution for a key restricted free agent. This edition of NHL rumours looks at the latest regarding an important Minnesota Wild forward.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Latest on RFA Minnesota Wild Forward
Rumour: The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli gave an update on Bleacher Report about RFA forward Marco Rossi. He said that teams may be hesitant on signing the Austrian to an offer sheet.
Analysis: Rossi and the Wild are locked into a stalemate when it comes to contract talks. The young forward really took a big step forward for Minnesota last season. However, his regular season success didn’t translate into post-season playing time.
Rossi has been the subject of trade rumours in previous editions of our hot stove chatter. One would think that the 23-year-old would be the target of an offer sheet. However, Seravalli thinks that teams won’t step up and pay the price.
An offer sheet would mean that Wild General Manager Bill Guerin would have seven days to match it. Minnesota would then get draft pick compensation if the team declines on matching it.
Teams would love to add a talented youngster like Rossi. However, the asking price may a bit to high to risk losing out on draft selections.
What It Means
Insiders have previously reported that Rossi is looking for a deal similar to what Matt Boldy is getting. Boldy is receiving a $7 million deal was for seven seasons.
Minnesota is trying to get Rossi to sign a bridge deal that will allow them some flexibility. These contracts are typically one or two seasons that will allow management to see if a player is worth a longer term investment. Rossi has put up numbers, but it seems like the Wild want to see if they can do it for more than one season.
One of other thing that Minnesota is trying to figure out is the next contract for superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov. The Russian is in line for a massive payday and some think it could be around $15 million. That would make him the highest-paid player in the league barring what Connor McDavid‘s next contract may look like.
Guerin has more financial freedom after the buyout hits of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have been reduced. However, the Wild’s GM has to be careful when it comes to paying his key players.
Teams could still try to make trade offers for Rossi, but it doesn’t seem like an offer sheet will be used as a tool to go after Rossi. These contract talks could drag on for a while longer.
Main photo by: Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images
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