Would Marco Rossi Make Sense As Potential Target For The Capitals? A Look At The Pending RFA
Rossi is a rising young star who could bring a lot to the table, but would the Capitals really be the right fit?
The Washington Capitals have two main goals going into the summer: continue to get younger, and add secondary scoring, especially when it comes to a third-line center. One player whose name is on the trade block fits both of those criteria: pending RFA Marco Rossi.
Per The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Rossi turned down a five-year, $5 million extension from the Wild and countered with a shorter bridge deal with a higher AAV, which “went nowhere.” He also slid to the fourth line in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and The Daily Faceoff has him as third on the NHL’s offseason trade targets list.
Rossi is coming off a career year for the Minnesota Wild that saw him rack up 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 82 games, a significant jump from the 40-point campaign he put up in 2023-24. The Minnesota Wild center also averaged 18:15 minutes per game, taking on more responsibility, winning 46.8 percent of his face-offs and boasting a shooting percentage of 17.6 percent.
The 23-year-old is a skilled two-way player who has great hockey sense, is an outstanding playmaker and can perform well in all three zones. He’s also quick and hard on pucks.
Going into the offseason, the Capitals are exploring all options as they look to transition and prepare for the future without Alex Ovechkin, and one area of need is finding a third-line center to provide secondary scoring.
Rossi is a young, talented forward who fits the bill and areas of need, and he would certainly provide a boost and some key depth and offense. Plus, Spencer Carbery’s proven to work well with young players, and the connection there would be significant and lead to perhaps even more success for the rising star.
Ultimately, though, Washington may not be the best landing spot for his career.
First, the Capitals have their top two centers locked up, with Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois leading the charge there. Rossi would add impressive depth, and you truly can’t go wrong and have too much center depth.
That said, Rossi likely wouldn’t be looking to go somewhere to play bottom-6 minutes, especially after logging as much time as he did in Minnesota this past season.
Then, there’s Connor McMichael, who is coming off a career year playing on the wing but ultimately wants to be in D.C. for a long time and be a center, his natural position. Hendrix Lapierre is also coming up the pipeline and wants to show what he can do next fall, and management also expressed its desire to look at internal options and see what its prospects can do. Adding Rossi would put a pause on those plans.
Additionally, while general manager Chris Patrick expressed interest in adding a skill player to the mix and alluded to any possible “big hack” as being a “really big hack,” he also wants to have another line that’s a lot like Nic Dowd’s line.
“It would be great to also have a third line that is a really dependable third line,” Patrick said.
There are other, less expensive centers hitting the market that fit this bill, and Rossi may come at a higher cost. Plus, other teams would likely offer more for the center, and that could include more minutes and lucrative assets that D.C. may not want to part with.
Plus, when it comes to adding a big name, a winger, not a center, would likely be the preferred route there, given the team’s depth down the middle.
At the end of the day, anything could happen, but Rossi’s certainly a name that’s drawing quite a bit of interest from a number of clubs going into free agency. It just may not be the go-to move for the Capitals.
Rather give Connor McMichael a chance to be permanent center.