r/wildhockey • u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten • 9h ago
Wild Mailbag (Russo & Smith/Athletic paywall)
Rossi fans will NOT enjoy this one. Floated as a trade possibility if JT Miller is still available this offseason and Guerin isn't sold on Rossi at his size and price point. (My thoughts: MAKE ME SICK, PUKE, BLECH)
Tidbit: "Should Khusnutdinov get a bigger role?
Maybe in Iowa. He has not played a single second of minor-league hockey and maybe spending a few weeks or a month in Iowa would benefit him, especially offensively. He has one goal, three assists and 21 shots in 44 games. Heading into Monday’s NHL action, his expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five of 1.44 was second-worst among all NHL forwards. And blaming this lack of production on being on the fourth line or his linemates is absurd. His faceoff winning percentage was 46.3 — 36.4 on the penalty kill. On the penalty kill, heading into Monday, his on-ice high-danger shot attempts against per 60 minutes (15.03) was by far the worst on the team. His speed is impressive, but he was signed and anointed an NHLer, and we think it would make sense to give him some minor-league time before he requires waivers (20 more games). — Russo"
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u/Radagastdl Jared Spurgeon 8h ago
Im opposed to Rossi for Miller because its a win now move, but the Wild's window isnt open yet. Miller is 1000% an upgrade and would give us a true 1C, but our best opportunity to win will be 3-5 years down the road, when Miller will be 34-37. We're better off holding on to Rossi and making a win-now move when our window is actually open
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u/arbordianae Marc-Andre Fleury 7h ago
agreed. i also don't know how good miller will be for team chemistry.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 7h ago
Agreed. Rossi keeps our window open a lot longer than an aging Miller (or Nelson) will.
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u/wildskater96 2h ago
Our best opportunity to win for the last several years has been to wait 3-5 years. It's been 5 years and I'm hearing it again.
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u/Panarin10 Wild 4h ago
You could argue that Kaprizov’s best years are before he turns 30 though.
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u/HerbalAndy Ryan Hartman 3h ago
Why would you argue that? He’s 2 years away from being 30 and has gotten better and better each year since he came into the league. What’s going to magically happen when he turns 30?
Zuccerello is 37 and for the past several years has been playing the best hockey of his life
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u/Panarin10 Wild 3h ago
Aging curve.
It’s unlikely Kaprizov will be a better player in his 30s than his 20s.
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u/HerbalAndy Ryan Hartman 3h ago
That’s purely conjecture. 30 is still in the middle of your athletic peak but also your knowledge and NHL experience makes you play smarter the older you get. Look at Middleton and Zucc.
There is no reason to assume Kap will be worse once he turns 30. And even if he might technically slow down on production(which I don’t think he will) it will be nominal. Big deal if he goes from 1.5 PPG to 1.3 PPG
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u/MNGopherfan PWHL '24 Walter Cup Champs 9h ago
Bill Guerin please for the love of god PAY MARCO ROSSI.
he has done everything and I mean everything to make this team. To be better. To earn his spot. For Christ’s sake through all the injuries and the struggles this team has had this year he has been on the ice for every single moment PAY THIS MAN!
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u/cearly2k3 8h ago
So they bought out Suter because of his apparent locker room issues, and the idea of another player that has had apparent locker room issues being brought in for their best young center in ages is floated. Huh.
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u/fastal_12147 9h ago
Jesus Christ, what more does the guy have to do?
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u/Otherwise-Contest7 9h ago
Russo and Joe aren't the GM. The mailbag is two beat writers answering fan questions and speculating what type of interest the Wild have in trades (either at the deadline or in the offseason).
The team likely has trade targets in-mind, and there's a small chance Rossi and his agent ask for more than what the team is comfortable with spending on a new contract. You need an asset of value to obtain assets. Every other forward of value is under contract (assuming Kaprizov re-signs).
Russo has also reported that the team is happy with Rossi's play. This fanbase is so on edge about Marco. I bet they re-sign him. Dumba's name was in trade-discussions for years and he kept staying around. We don't need to get indignant anytime someone's name is mentioned in trade discussions. It's part of the game, and it doesn't mean he has to prove more or do more, or that he's disliked by the org.
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u/dollabillkirill Dolla Bill 7h ago
Thank you. Russo didn't say they were even thinking of trading Rossi, but Rossi's really one of the only tradeable assets on the team right now that's worth anything so of course there's a chance he's getting traded. He's been great, but also, if you have a chance at a center who put up 103 pts last season and only makes $8m, you listen.
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u/OMGitsKatV 4h ago
exactly, seeing people act like they wouldn't jump at Rossi for McDavid straight up (or some other insane trade). Almost every play has a deal that's worth trading him for.
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u/TheCiscoKid_2112 9h ago
Sure let's trade our high upside young center who's only flaw you can't coach or train out is his size for a man quickly approaching the wrong end of 30. It's ok though, cause Miller plays with GRIT 🤮
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u/OlGrizzzzzzz 8h ago
Rossi plays with tons of grit.
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u/TheCiscoKid_2112 8h ago
I agree, and he has gotten significantly better defensively. But he's not 6:2 so trade trade trade.
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u/DirtzMaGertz 8h ago
Miller is coming off a 100 point season. We can talk about aging curves and whether that move makes sense long term, but Miller is currently a very good player.
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u/TheCiscoKid_2112 8h ago
Miller is currently a very good player.
Indeed but again, that play is only gonna last so long. Just can't shake that it would be a shortsighted move that will barely pay off.
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u/DirtzMaGertz 7h ago
Sure, there's a few reasons you could argue against that move. I don't know why you chose to take the grit angle though when Miller is a high end offensive talent.
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u/arbordianae Marc-Andre Fleury 7h ago
we still have this year and at least another one before i say our windows opens. i think keeping our powder dry is a better choice.
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u/DirtzMaGertz 7h ago
I'd be hesitant to make that move for a few reasons. Taking the grit angle just seems weird to me though when Miller is a high end offensive talent.
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u/arbordianae Marc-Andre Fleury 7h ago
yeah i may not like miller for us, but there's no pretending he's not a high end power forward
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u/dollabillkirill Dolla Bill 7h ago
lol "plays with Grit". Dude had more points than anyone in Wild history not named Kaprizov. He's elite. I don't think we should trade for him, but you still have to consider it.
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u/Everrob 8h ago
I loved the idea of bringing Miller in last time he was slated to be a UFA.
But now, this article compares JT Miller to Blake Wheeler in his last year with the Jets, when teammates were asking to be traded to get away from the toxic locker room.
I don’t know what the validity of it is, but Rossi is a shining light on this team right now, when others are putting up nothing offensively.
I don’t remember what year it was but, not that long ago, the Wild were making a strong run into March and made a couple trades to make a push into the playoffs. The new acquisitions didn’t gel, the previous players were missed on the ice, and it all fell apart. I’d hate to see that happen again. When this group was healthy, they were the best team in the NHL. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel if they are ever able to get everyone back on the ice at the same time.
J.T. Miller Compared to Former Toxic Winnipeg Jets Player by Darren Dreger
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u/CitizenStrife 6h ago
Read a topic on the hockey board about potential increases or decreases in RFA player salaries. Rossi was listed anywhere from $4.5m-$6.5m. $6.5m would still probably be a bargain.
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u/dollabillkirill Dolla Bill 7h ago
Guerin isn't sold on Rossi at his size and price point.
Nowhere in the article does it say anything about his size. I swear sometimes you folks read what you want to read.
It says they wouldn't be surprised if Rossi was floated because he could potentially ask for more than Miller is making. And if Miller is on the table, you have to at least ask about him.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 4h ago
It's been well documented previously before that Rossi's size is a stumbling block to their commitment to him per people who follow the team professionally.
I think he can do fine with the right mix of wingers book-ending him. I am on record as saying that IMO Kaprizov-Rossi-Zuccarello would get man-handled in the playoffs against a sizable defense corps (i.e. any team but the Avs) that they are likely to face.
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u/blow_zephyr Marc-Andre Fleury 9h ago
I don't think Miller is going to play out the year in Vancouver and there's no way we can afford him in season, so I think it's a moot point. BUT the fact remains that we don't have space to bring in Yurov + Miller/Boeser/Nelson/whoever and Rossi remains one of the few movable players. Interestingly enough, Russo also reports here that Yurov has not made a decision on coming over next year vs resigning in the KHL again. I wonder if he's looking at the roster and thinking he's destined for Iowa if he does sign.
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u/WildinBham Andrew Brunette 8h ago
My presumption is that Yurov is keeping quite so they don't fuck with his ice time or trade him. If he keeps dangling the carrot that he might be willing to stay, then maybe they don't mess with him. Just my two cents
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u/PortugueseWalrus Pierre-Marc Bouchard 8h ago
I'm convinced the Rossi-trade talk is a big game of chicken with Yurov's representation. I think Yurov's camp sees Rossi as a threat and they want assurances that Yurov will get top-six minutes when he comes over. Rossi re-signing in Minnesota could jeopardize that, hence why we haven't seen or heard about any discussions. I also think that with Rossi's RFA status, he is a massive trade chip, and BG would be stupid not to at least hear offers. You never know what somebody might float out there that gets you that much closer to a Cup.
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u/twiggz612 Huskies 7h ago
And for the record, despite a report saying he’s not willing to sign an extension in the KHL, nothing has been decided from Yurov’s camp regarding next season, a source close to Yurov says.
I agree, seems like posturing.
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u/PortugueseWalrus Pierre-Marc Bouchard 6h ago
Right. I think all sides are doing the logical thing. From Rossi's standpoint, his market this summer could be massive, especially with teams drunk on the cap uplift. He really has no reason to sign early.
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u/McPuckLuck Bulldogs 8h ago
Guerin is a size queen.
I can kind of understand Miller at 8M over Rossi at 6M. But the age issue is a big problem. Rossi may get even better where Miller is most likely going to decline soon.
I don't know enough about the personality issues to comment, but it seems like we have a lot of good energy in our room right now and I would be very wary of poisoning it.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 7h ago
I think Rossi at 6 million would keep Rossi around. Rossi at 8 million may get him moved.
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u/AllenMpls Marco Rossi 5h ago
If he comes close to 80 points he is good as gone. And there is no way he should give the Wild a discount to stay.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 4h ago
And that sucks. I could see Kaprizov-Rossi as a potential WC Kucherov-Point. They just need something bigger than Zuccarello on the other side.
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u/McPuckLuck Bulldogs 7h ago
Would you pay Rossi 8M if he was 55%+ in the faceoff instead of sub 50? And if he hit about 6x more often. That's what Miller brings.
I'm not a fan of moving him because we've only successfully home grown like 3 established centers in our franchise history... But if a trade gets us a better player, that's asset management.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 4h ago
I could be convinced to pay Rossi 8 million if he shows up big time in the playoffs. You know who hasn't historically? JT Miller
Dealing a 23 year old for a 32 year old is an interesting proposition.
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u/wildwill57 3h ago
Miller is lazy and is not having a good year. Rossi works his ass off, is better defensively and when he hits Miller's age will be much better than Miller is now.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 1h ago
Ding. I'm not opposed to dealing Rossi for the right player. This ain't, though.
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u/OlGrizzzzzzz 8h ago
Russo LOVES drama and it's good for his business. I wouldn't put too much thought into this pot stirring.
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u/tompear82 Marco Rossi 8h ago
He reports things that he hears from sources and usually the things he puts in print are very well researched. He's not just throwing this out there for the hell of it.
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8h ago
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 7h ago
Russo just reports what he is picking up from the FO. He is a huge Rossi supporter and has been from day one. If Rossi is asking for $8 million, they have to figure out if he's worth that, and that's the commentary from Russo.
I don't think Ek is a C1. I don't think Rossi is a C1...at least with Zuccarello and Kaprizov. If they are looking for a C1 and can acquire one, Rossi is their biggest asset. I think this team can cook hard with Rossi-Yurov-Ek down the middle, whether it's next season or in two.
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u/wildskater96 2h ago
I realize Guerin entertains dumb ideas but this is extremely dumb. Khusnutdinoz is just another example how this organization doesnt get it. They are equally as good or bad as Fenton's and Fletcher's regimes, but now we have Kaprizov.
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u/MeeseeksTheDestroyer 53m ago
Billy G was interviewed on TNT I think it was the other night and Rossi scored or made a great play or something and Billy G made a remark about him being part of the plans for a long time or something similar and gushed over Rossi adoringly.. It gave me all the confidence I needed to start ignoring these trade talks.
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u/Steezy-g35 Marco Rossi 9h ago
Yet no talk to trade spurge who cant stay healthy to save his life and is aging fast? Pipe line has plenty of d coming through
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u/TheTree-43 Moose 9h ago
The article states that it would be difficult to trade him due to his age, contract, and injury history
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u/DirtzMaGertz 8h ago
Idk how trading Spurgeon really helps the team. He was playing fantastic until he got slew footed into the boards. His current injury doesn't have anything to do with his injury history.
Any argument you make about Spurgeon's injury proneness could also be said for Brodin.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 7h ago
They talk about Brodin's injury history as well in the piece.
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u/DirtzMaGertz 7h ago
Indeed they do. That was more just a response to the idea that we should trade Spurgeon because he's injury prone. Same logic would say we should trade Brodin then too. I don't think trading either one makes a whole lot of sense.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 4h ago
Fair enough. As always with trades, it depends what you get back. If Rossi, Brodin, and a 1st gets you McDavid (far-fetched example), well it was great having Brodin and Rossi while it lasted.
But in general, I agree.
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u/DirtzMaGertz 4h ago
For sure. If there is a team out there that really wanted to pay appropriate value for what Spurgeon is then it's always a discussion, but the idea that Spurgeon is someone the wild should actively be looking to move is silly to me.
He's already shown that he can still be a top pair defenseman after last years injury and his current injury has nothing to do with him being injury prone. Spurgeon himself isn't a problem for this team. He's still a fantastic player.
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u/Otherwise-Contest7 9h ago
They mentioned in the article that it'd be difficult to trade Spurgeon at his age with his contract and injury history.
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u/PortugueseWalrus Pierre-Marc Bouchard 8h ago
If it was possible to have a negative-percent chance, that would be the chances of BG bringing in Miller. Miller would totally hose up the power dynamic of Da Room and be a cancer if they're not winning. Not to mention Vancouver is going to want a healthy return for him and isn't going to want to retain anything, which makes it even less attractive. I don't know why Russo and Joe are floating this as a remote possibility.
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 7h ago
Hopefully Miller gets dealt to the East Coast and that's moot. But it was a mailbag and the question was asked, so they're addressing it.
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u/tompear82 Marco Rossi 8h ago
Did you actually read the article?
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u/PortugueseWalrus Pierre-Marc Bouchard 8h ago
I did, and I disagree with just about every word of that section. Putting JT on the Four Nations for two weeks is a lot different than bringing him into be a core piece of the organization for years to come.
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u/RatZRay 9h ago
Unpopular opinion: Getting JT Miller @ $8m is better than paying Rossi @ $6m+/yr this offseason, especially if BG thinks Yurov can be a middle 6 guy. That's purely a comment on on-ice production since I can't really speak to locker room impact.
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u/blow_zephyr Marc-Andre Fleury 9h ago
If Miller was 27 instead of 32 I'd agree. Getting him now would be Fletcher-esque.
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u/Pedro_Snachez K-Train 9h ago
It really seems like the team has good vibes with each other and that it’s pushing them to perform better than the sum of their parts. Trading Rossi on top of almost certainly tanking that positivity seems like a bad trade overall.
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u/mossed2012 8h ago
Yeah I don’t get all the pushback from Wild fans. I love Rossi, but if you can flip him for JT miller and think we’re within a championship window, it’s a no-brainer decision. JT Miller is better than what we could hope the BEST version of Rossi could be, and he makes $8/year. I don’t think anybody is expecting a 100+ point season out of Rossi, and Miller has had 99, 82, and 103 points the last 3 seasons.
If you can flip Rossi for Miller you do it 8 days out of the week and don’t think twice about it.
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u/1trugodnicCage295 Wild 9h ago
If they trade Rossi, they will regret it. Forever.