Movement on Marco Rossi + MN Wild Standoff…

Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin has a lot on his plate these days. Not only is Billy G preparing for the start of NHL training camp, which begins next month, but he’s also serving going on his fifth year as general manager of Team USA hockey.

So beyond his MN Wild duties, Guerin is in the process of selecting the 2026 Olympic Team, which will be built of NHL players for the first time since 2014. In the last 48 hours, in fact, Team USA announced the 44 players set to attend an upcoming orientation camp, including a couple of Americans off the MN Wild roster.

But Minnesota’s PoHO isn’t losing site of his day job obligations, either. In fact, it appears Bill Guerin has been making some headway on one of the most pressing items remaining on his MN Wild offseason to-do list.

Contract talks between MN Wild and Marco Rossi heating up

According to Michael Russo (The Athletic), the Wild have finally made a breakthrough in contract negotiations with center Marco Rossi, news that fans in Minnesota have been waiting to hear for over two years now.

Hearing there has been significant progress toward a potential Marco Rossi signing by the #mnwild in the coming days. As we've been reporting, a bridge deal makes the most sense.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) August 21, 2025

The Minnesota Wild relegated the 23-year-old Rossi to the 3rd line during the 2024-25 NHL Playoffs, where he still managed 2 goals and an assist in 6 games (11:08 ATOI).

Sandwich that postseason demotion between lowball offers from Guerin during recent negotiations, and Rossi’s contract dispute with the Wild has become one of the ugliest in franchise history.

Related: MN Wild Teasing Massive Contract News on Local Sidewalks…?

But per Russo’s report, which came somewhat out of nowhere on Thursday, the Marco + Billy standoff may finally be reaching an end… at least for now. As Michael reiterates, this is likely to be a short-term bridge deal that will give Rossi and opportunity to increase his value as an NHL center.

If successful, it’s very plausible that the Minnesota Wild then bring Marco Rossi — who put up 60 points in 2024 (24 goals, 36 assists) — back to market to see if they can get any better offers than what they have received this offseason. That doesn’t mean Guerin hasn’t been shopping Rossi recently, though.

Minnesota Wild reengaged in Rossi trade talks too?

Thursday morning, prior to Russo’s report dropping, trusted NHL insider Jimmy Murphy (RG Media) released an article at RG.org that also reported movement in the Rossi + Wild standoff. According to Murphy, however, the shift was in Billy G’s negotiations with interested trade parties, specifically Vancouver and Seattle.

According to two different NHL sources, the Vancouver Canucks and the Seattle Kraken recently circled back with the Minnesota Wild to see where they stand in their contract talks with restricted free agent center Marco Rossi.

“Both were in on Rossi leading into and at the NHL Entry Draft, and until probably mid-July, and I’m hearing that they’ve made it clear that if it gets to the point in the next month, where contract talks between Rossi and the Wild reach a point of no return, they want to see what it would take to acquire Rossi,” one of the sources told RG.

Jimmy Murphy – RG.org

Marco Rossi is going into his fifth NHL season, but just his third as a full-timer. After playing in 21 games for the Wild between 2021-22 and 2022-23, the 5’9″ Austrian center has played back-to-back full 82-game seasons.

While his most talented teammates have struggled to remain in the lineup, Rossi has been available, allowing him to rack up 45 goals and 56 assists (101 points) in his first 185 NHL games.

Related: MN Wild Sign One-Time Shattuck St. Mary’s Rental to Pro Tryout

Unfortunately, nothing Marco’s done has won the love and affection of Bill Guerin, who’s been determined to rid the Minnesota Wild of their Rossi burden for most of the past three years.

Don’t assume that means the Wild’s president of hockey operations is willing to give his second line center away for below market value, though. The fact that Rossi remains on Minnesota’s roster is proof of that.