The Vancouver Canucks could be in on a top unsigned RFA, landing him in a massive trade with the Minnesota Wild.
According to a report by James Murphy at RG Media published on August 21, the Canucks and Wild could be on the verge of working out a major deal involving RFA Marco Rossi. Rossi-to-Vancouver rumors are nothing new.
Per Murphy:
“Both (Kraken and Canucks) were in on Rossi leading into and at the NHL Entry Draft, 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.”
Murphy, as told by an anonymous source close to the negotiations, believes that the Canucks were close to landing Rossi at the 2025 NHL Draft. The deal didn’t materialize as the Wild hoped they could re-sign Rossi.
Wild GM Bill Guerin told RG back on August 13 that he was hopeful the club could re-sign Rossi despite stalling contract talks. Now, it seems that if an extension is not on the horizon by the start of training camp, the Wild could pull the trigger.
The return the Canucks would offer for Rossi is uncertain. One would have to imagine the return could include a mix of draft picks and prospects. While it’s unlikely that Elias Pettersson would be heading to Minnesota, a roster player would have to head to Minnesota to take Rossi’s place in the team’s lineup.
Rossi Fills 2C Role for Canucks
The Canucks have been looking to fill the second-line center role since the departure of J.T. Miller last season. While Filip Chytil, who came back in exchange for Miller, could do the job, his health is a concern.
Also, Aatu Raty could step up if he can take the next step. However, the Canucks have him penciled in as the third-line pivot.
That’s why adding Rossi makes sense for the Canucks. He’s still young, but he could step in and help the Canucks depth down the middle. If he can continue his path as shown in Minnesota, Rossi could blossom into a solid middle-six center in Vancouver.
Vancouver Still Needs to Clear Cap Space
PuckPedia shows the Canucks have roughly $3.2 million in cap space. That won’t be enough to re-sign Rossi. The prevailing wisdom is that Rossi’s next contract could be coming in at around $6 to $7 million AAV.
If that’s the case, the Canucks would either need to send money back to Minnesota or make another move. That could be a tall order as players like Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Jake DeBrusk all have full no-trade clauses.
Similarly, Evander Kane, Drew O’Connor, and Teddy Blueger have modified no-trade clauses. Only captain Quinn Hughes does not have any trade protection. However, it would be ludicrous to imagine Hughes being traded in this scenario.
Overall, the Canucks could be on the verge of landing the summer’s most coveted RFA. But it remains to be seen how the club can fit Rossi under the cap.
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