The Boston Bruins could issue an offer sheet this offseason to add more young talent to the club. One player that stands out as being a target for Boston is Minnesota Wild RFA Center Marco Rossi.
Rossi has been on multiple teams’ radars this offseason amid apparent discrepancies between the 23-year-old and the Wild. Rossi is coming off his entry-level contract and could fetch as much as $50 million on the open market, according to the Fourth Period.
But since Rossi is an RFA, he’s eligible to sign with the Wild. Any other interested teams would need to submit an offer sheet to land the 60-point center.
That’s where the Bruins could shake up the market. They could extend Rossi an offer sheet this summer in hopes of landing him.
If the Fourth Period’s estimates prove correct, Rossi could be had for six years $50 million, bringing the AAV to about $8.3 million. The Wild have a little over $10 million in cap space, making it quite challenging for the team to match it.
The Bruins, for their part, have just a little over $2 million in cap space after a busy first day of NHL free agency. So, the team would have to clear up cap space to fit Rossi’s contract under the cap.
But if the Bruins have an opportunity to make the deal work, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t at least kick the tires on landing Rossi.
Compensation Boston Bruins Would Pay for Rossi Offer Sheet
According to the current RFA compensation thresholds, the Bruins would be on the hook for a first, second, and third-round pick if the AAV on Rossi’s offer sheet was $8.3 million.
The catch here is that the Bruins must have their own picks to pay as compensation. The Bruins could not offer another team’s picks for this purpose. Fortunately, the Bruins own all of their picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. So, that would make the deal work.
The question would be: Is the compensation worth it? It seems like a steep price to pay. If the Bruins were able to get Rossi for under $7 million AAV, the compensation would be a first and third.
Considering the upside Rossi has to offer, the Bruins would do well to part with the draft picks. They have a second first-round pick in next year’s draft, plus two fourth-rounders. That’s why the price, despite it being relatively high, would be worth it.
Signing Rossi Could Be Too Good to Pass Up
Young, playmaking centers don’t grow on trees. The Bruins need one and could get him for the foreseeable future. The Bruins already have two potentially solid young centers in Fraser Minten and Casey Mittelstadt. Adding Rossi would give the Bruins three who could contribute as soon as next season.
Of course, the club will need to clear cap space. Centers Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm have been rumored to be on the block. That situation means the Bruins will have to get creative in finding a partner to take Zacha and Lindholm off their hands. But if they can find a partner, it’s worth looking into it.
Ultimately, landing Marco Rossi via offer sheet could be a case of wishful thinking. But if there’s a chance it works, GM Don Sweeney would be remiss if he didn’t look into it.
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