Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin held a Zoom call with local members of the press on Tuesday, and while the free agent frenzy news was fairly light due to the team not going crazy with the signings, Guerin clarified the team's position on pending restricted free agent Marco Rossi. It's looking less likely that the 23-year-old will be forwarding his mail to a new city this fall.
The Minnesota Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan asked what his concern level was in regards to Rossi receiving an offer sheet from another team, prompting Guerin to respond with,
"I'm not concerned. We're prepared. We will match. It's not an issue with us."
The gauntlet has been laid at the feet of his fellow NHL general managers. Don't bother trying to sign him was the message that he calmly passed along from the warmly sunlit office he was answering questions from Tuesday afternoon.
He proceeded to talk about other teams not being prepared in the past to match offer sheets, but dismissed any concern that was the case in Minnesota. His preference is to make a deal with the center as opposed to letting another team dictate the terms, but with plenty of cap room available, and a roster that's mostly filled out, Guerin obviously believes he can match any deal a rival team might offer.
"I've said it before, we like Marco. He had a very good year for us, he's a good hockey player. But we have a structure in our pay that we have him slotted in at a certain level, and that's the way we're doing our business. It's nothing personal. We want him back, and we'll hopefully get to a resolution sooner than later."
Along with New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes, Rossi remains one of the more attractive restricted free agents that would be eligible for an offer sheet. Will Cuyle and Daniil Tarasov were two RFAs that signed with their respective teams while the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes worked out a sign-and-trade deal that saw defenseman K'Andre Miller head to Raleigh with a new 8-year, $60 million contact.
A team signing Rossi to an offer sheet at his expected contract demands (probably between $6.5-$7 million per year) would have to offer Minnesota their first and third round picks in the 2026 draft. While the chance to hold another potential Gavin McKenna lottery ticket might be enticing to Guerin, the Wild have a stockpile of young talent already in the system. The GM mentioned that up to five first round picks could be vying for a spot on the roster in training camp this season. He's not looking at the distant future, but the present. And signing Rossi helps this year's team more than a couple of draft picks.
At this point there is no immediate deadline for a deal to get done. Minnesota issued a qualifying offer to Rossi and will extend it if a deal isn't reached by the July 15 deadline. In order for Rossi to play this season, they would have to have an agreement by December 1. From the way Guerin has been talking of late, something would have to seriously derail the current negotiations for that eventuality to come to pass.