The Minnesota Wild have reportedly extended forward Marco Rossi to a 3 year $5 million contract today via insider Frank Seravalli.
The 23 year old Austria native recorded 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 82 games in his sophomore NHL season last year. He has established himself as a core piece of the future for this Wild forward group.
Over his 185 game stint in the NHL thus far, Rossi has amassed 45 goals and 56 assists for 101 points in 185 regular season games. In the playoffs, he has registered 2 goals and 1 assist in 6 games.
This deal is a solid compromise for both sides. The Wild do not break the bank with this contract, which will come in handy down the road when its time to put pen to paper on another top forward who will be due an extension. Rossi may not get quite the pay day he would have expected with a contract notably less than the $6.591 million deal that was signed by the Blackhawks Frank Nazar yesterday. But considering the term only lasts 3 years, this is a bridge deal both sides can revisit when Rossi is entering his prime and due a raise.
What is next for Minnesota?
With the Rossi bridge deal finally taken care of, Minnesota can shift their focus to the impending Kirill Kaprizov extension. The star Russian forward has been eligible for a new deal since July 1st, with this season being the final year of his current contract.
This will be the next big domino to fall for Minnesota, locking up their franchise player has to be a top priority from this point forward.
