Wild haven’t signed Marco Rossi yet, but they hold the hammer

As much as the Wild have readied their roster for next season, bringing in two experienced forwards and new depth players, they still have unfinished business.

Aside from signing Kirill Kaprizov to a contract extension, which is the Wild’s top priority this offseason, Marco Rossi needs a new deal. But the stalemate that’s persisted between the two sides isn’t unusual, and the Wild expect the negotiation to take time.

“For a player in this position, this is pretty normal,” President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin said. “I went through this as a player, too. This is not anything new. Just like Kirill, there is a process.

“We don’t have to rush into anything.”

Rossi is coming off his entry-level contract and best season since the Wild drafted him in the first round, ninth overall, in 2020.

He set career highs in goals (24), assists (36) and points (60), finishing second in scoring on the Wild as one of only three players to appear in every game. But after skating in the top six during the regular season, including on the first line alongside Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, the center was moved to the fourth line in the playoffs; there, he scored twice and chipped in an assist.

After the Wild were eliminated from the first round in six games by Vegas, Rossi said he was disappointed by the switch. He made it clear he believes he’s a top-six forward but replied, “I don’t know. We’ll see,” when asked if he understood what his role next season would be.

The Wild and Rossi’s camp have traded offers, with the Wild tabling short and long-term proposals, but there hasn’t been an agreement.

By extending a qualifying offer to Rossi last month, the Wild retained his rights as a restricted free agent. Rossi, 23, didn’t have the option to elect for arbitration. He is, however, eligible to receive an offer from another team.

If that happened, the Wild would have a week to match or let Rossi leave and get draft pick compensation in return for losing him. That happened to Edmonton last summer, with St. Louis signing Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway away from the Oilers, but Guerin isn’t concerned the Wild and Rossi will end up in the same situation.

“We’re prepared,” Guerin said. “We will match, and it’s not an issue with us. I think when you’ve seen [offer sheets] in the past that have been successful, maybe the teams weren’t fully prepared for it. But, yeah, we are prepared for it. We’d rather make a deal with Marco.”

After trading for Vladimir Tarasenko, signing Nico Sturm and acquiring a third goalie in Cal Petersen among their reserve additions, the Wild have approximately $10 million in salary cap space.

Recent contracts for other restricted free agents with similar credentials as Rossi have run the gamut. Will Cuylle and the New York Rangers agreed on two years and $7.8 million, while William Eklund secured a three-year, $16.8 million deal from San Jose.

Logan Stankoven netted max term from Carolina, an eight-year, $48 million commitment, and former Gopher Matthew Knies re-upped with Toronto for six years and $46.5 million (an annual average of $7.75 million).

Multiple teams still have unsigned RFAs like the Wild, including Winnipeg (Gabriel Vilardi), Anaheim (Mason McTavish) and New Jersey (Luke Hughes).

“I understand both sides very well,” said Guerin, who had contract impasses with New Jersey and Edmonton during his career and mentioned he’s friends with Rossi’s agents. “As a player, too, you know it’s enough money, but you’re competitive, right? That’s why you’re good. That’s why you’re in this league. You’re competitive with your peers. You want to be treated a certain way. You feel like you deserve a certain amount or whatever, and I get that.

“Yeah, I get that. It’s emotional. But now being on this side, I have a business to run. I have a structure that we’re following.”

Should these talks linger for the next few months, it wouldn’t be a first for the Wild.

Kevin Fiala signed his post entry-level contract with the Wild one day before players reported for training camp in 2019.

“We like Marco,” Guerin said. “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 just the way we’re doing our business.

“This is nothing personal. We want him back, and we’ll hopefully get to a resolution sooner than later.”