Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin confirmed the team has received calls about pending restricted free-agent center Marco Rossi.
"Yeah, teams see this stuff written and they call, but like I said, Marco's a good player and I'm not interested in making our team worse or postponing our team being better," Guerin told The Athletic's Michael Russo. "So I'm not dying to get rid of Marco. That's the bottom line."
Guerin added that he'd be open to trading anyone if it meant improving the team.
The Wild have made Rossi two contract offers, sources told Russo. They offered him a five-year, $25-million deal over the winter and a shorter-term contract more recently. Rossi is ineligible for salary arbitration, which could make him the target of offer sheets if the two sides don't reach a resolution before July 1.
"There clearly is a difference of opinion with respect to Marco's value," Rossi's agent, Ian Pulver, said. "We will continue in good faith to engage the Wild to attempt to reach resolution. We understand that Billy likes Marco, but for how much? And in what role going forward? (That) is the subject of great debate.
"Like the Wild, we believe we have advanced very fair and reasonable contract proposals. What the future holds for Marco and the Wild, only time will tell."
Guerin remains adamant that his offers to Rossi have been fair.
"They don't like it," Guerin said. "And that's fine. This is not a knock on them. They feel he's of more value. But to say I don't like him, if you knew what the value of what those contract offers were, you'd say, 'Oh, he definitely likes him and wants to keep him.'"
Rossi, 23, is coming off a breakout season in which he tallied 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games while averaging 18:15 of ice time per contest. He ranked second on the Wild in points and third in goals.
However, Rossi's role shrank during the postseason. He primarily centered the fourth line, averaging just 11:08 in six games before the Wild were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights. Rossi still managed two goals and an assist despite the reduced role.
AFP Analytics projects Rossi to earn $7.4 million annually on a seven-year deal, or $4.5 million annually on a two-year contract. Evolving-Hockey predicts a two-year pact with a $4.7-million cap hit.
The Wild drafted Rossi ninth overall in 2020. The 5-foot-9 Austrian finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting in 2023-24 with a 40-point campaign.
Minnesota has about $15.7 million in cap space this offseason with 20 players signed. Declan Chisholm is the Wild's only other notable RFA. Their list of pending unrestricted free agents includes Gustav Nyquist, Justin Brazeau, and Jon Merrill. Star forward Kirill Kaprizov is also entering the final year of his deal, and Guerin previously stated that he's "very confident" the two sides will agree to an extension.
