With training camp just around the corner, the 2025-26 season is coming up quick for the Minnesota Wild. As the team prepares to get back to the postseason, it is all hands on deck for the club. However, the team might be missing one key piece when it reconvenes.
According to NHL insider Cam Robinson on the “Sekeres and Price” podcast recently, it is possible that restricted free agent center Marco Rossi could hold out until a new contract is agreed upon.
“Training camp will be kinda where rubber meets the road,” opined Robinson. “I think it's ‘Are you gonna come back and play for us at the number we want? Or are you gonna sit out?' And I think that's maybe the direction it is going in.”
Minnesota GM Bill Guerin has rebuilt a team that is still somewhat in salary cap hell. The Wild only have a bit over nine million left in cap space. Rossi is reportedly seeking a new long-term deal that will pay him over seven million a season.
However, Guerin and Minnesota would reportedly like to sign him to a shorter-term bridge contract that will pay him no more than around five million a season. It feels as if both sides could be digging in for a holdout. Will Rossi and the Wild work out a new contract before camp begins?
Will Marco Rossi return to the Wild before regular season?
Guerin and the Minnesota front office know how much Rossi means to the team. The 23-year-old has continued to improve at the NHL level, amassing 60 points last year. It's clear that as long as he remains healthy, the center should have a long and productive deal. It's clear based on the amount of money that the Wild are willing to pay him that they also believe in his talent.
However, it is also clear that Rossi wants more. In a market that has quickly lost most of its top talent, Rossi could have the potential to be a lineup-changing addition for most teams in the league. This includes many other playoff contenders.
If the Wild cannot bring their young center back to the fold, will Guerin elect to save face and trade him? If not, then it could be some time until the restricted free agent rejoins his teammates in Minnesota.
