Wild sign Marco Rossi to three-year contract

Rossi Watch is over in the Twin Cities.

According to multiple reports, the Minnesota Wild have signed forward Marco Rossi to a three-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $5 million through the 2027-28 season.

Per Michael Russo of The Athletic, Rossi’s qualifying offer at the end of the contract, heading into his first unrestricted year, will be $6 million.

The negotiations between Rossi and the Wild have been highly publicized, with the player asking for a long-term deal with a cap hit projected in the $7 million range. There were reports that the Vancouver Canucks had interest in trading for the young Austrian. It seems like Rossi’s camp and Bill Guerin’s crew were able to come to an agreement that was good enough for both sides.

Rossi is at the end of his entry-level contract, which had a cap hit of $863,333, with the AAV coming up to $1,713,333, thanks to $850,000 in performance bonuses. In his first four years in North America, which saw the former Ottawa 67 play considerable time with the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild, Rossi has spent two full seasons with Minnesota.

After a solid 40-point rookie season in 2023-24, Rossi’s production rose this past year, setting career highs in goals (24), assists (36) and points (60), finishing second behind Matt Boldy in team scoring, and second to Kirill Kaprizov in goals.

With back-to-back 20-goal seasons, Rossi is starting to show that potential that led to the Wild taking him in the first round, ninth overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft. As Minnesota looks to become a true contender, Rossi’s skill set will be a vital piece if the team wants to make deep runs in the playoffs in the future.

In 185 regular-season NHL games, Rossi has scored 45 goals and 56 assists for 101 points, notching three points in six Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.