NHL Rumor Mill – July 31, 2025
Check out the latest on Wild center Marco Rossi and Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
TSN: cited a report by The Athletic indicating the contract negotiations between the Minnesota Wild and Marco Rossi remain at a stalemate.
Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi (NHL Images)
Joe Smith and Michael Russo claimed the two sides haven’t spoken since early June. With no sign of an offer sheet from a rival team, the impasse could drag on into the start of training camp in mid-September.
Rossi appeared in trade rumors before the 2025 NHL Draft, with the Vancouver Canucks reportedly offering the 15th overall pick in the draft for the 23-year-old center.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a trade. However, he’s also not pushing to move Rossi, who reportedly rejected a five-year, $25 million offer last season.
Smith and Russo report that the Rossi camp seeks between $6 million and $7 million on a long-term contract. They suggest that a short-term deal at $5 million annually might be the best solution.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barring a significant trade offer or an offer sheet from a rival club, this situation could drag on throughout the rest of the offseason.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Michael Augello believes the Buffalo Sabres must find a top-six winger to replace JJ Peterka, who was traded last month to the Utah Mammoth.
Yegor Chinakhov could be an option. The 24-year-old forward recently requested a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets, citing a series of misunderstandings with head coach Dean Evason.
Augello doubts the Sabres would offer up someone from their roster, and doesn’t think the Blue Jackets have much leverage to seek a player of comparable age. He suggested the Sabres offer up prospect Isak Rosen.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Augello suggests Chinakhov’s presence could be a distraction for the Blue Jackets this season. They might have to wait until training camp and preseason to find a suitable trade partner. Whether the Sabres will be among them remains to be seen.
HF30: As you enjoy the Rossi update …
I let this slide from a few days ago, regarding the effect or lack there of on the on ice quality of expansion. If this isn’t of interest anymore, I understand.
Your points were that players are better now than ever before, essentially, so the play is better than it was and won’t be affected by expansion.
I have thought about a few ways to respond, but the clearest way is to ask you whether you see a difference in talent and quality of play when each country ices their best, as in the 4 Nations or the Olympic teams. I’m not talking about when Norway plays Kazakhstan, either (which would actually amplify my point).
Or, you might consider the line ups of the bottom 1/3 of the teams in the league. Would you pay to see Chicago play, absent Bedard? How about Buffalo, with their complete line up?
Or, as one poster pointed out, quite a number of teams need a good 2C or better goaltending, but can’t find them.
So the effect of expansion will be 23 new players per expansion team, that weren’t good enough last year. Pretty hard to see how the product won’t be diluted.
Guerrin is low balling Rossi.
Coronato, age 22, 112 career games, 56 career points with a high of 24 goals & 47 pts last year.
New $6.5M contract
Stankoven age 22, 102 games, 52 career pts with a high of 14G & 38 pts last year.
New $6M contract
Jackson Blake age 21, 81 games, 34 career pts with all the points (17G) coming this past year
New $5.1M contract
Rossi, age 23, 185 games, 101 pts with highs of 24 goals & 60 pts this year (and 21G/40 pts last year).
And he is offered 5x$5M?
That’s not going to endear Minny/Guerrin to existing players and future free agents.
I’m still surprised that someone hasn’t floated an offer a 2 or 3 year deal at $7M per (which costs a 1st and 3rd). There are teams that can use a young, offensive 2nd liner who have the picks to do it: Boston, Calgary, Nashville, Pitt, Van
foleyd7, repeat comment from few days ago. So SIMPLE, why these teams aren’t making an offer for RFA Marco Rossi as lose at least their 2026 1st round draft pick acquire Rossi. Heard near the Top of 2026 draft several great prospects: Galvin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Roobroeck, Ivan Stenberg, Ethan Belchetz. Next season each of these teams reasonable chance may not make the playoffs. They want keep their 2026 1st round lottery draft pick for chance draft Galvin McKenna or another All-star potential player – in other words Cornerstone player. In comparison to be fair Marco Rossi probably isn’t Cornerstone player. Why would any of these teams risk drafting All-star potential player to Generational potential player? Imagine team made an offer for RFA Rossi, acquired him giving up their 2026 1st round pick and Wild win the lottery for the first overall draft pick?
Foleyd7, maybe rival GM’s and pro scouts think the same way about Rossi as Guerin, and his head coach, do. They don’t seem to think he’s worth the ask, or definitely not worth what they would have to pay him to pry him away from Minny.
Rossi wouldn’t have got his ice cut to 11 minutes a game in the post season if he was a complete 200′ center.
I am sure they are working with him to improve that, and we as fans don’t know how that is going, or how he is reacting to that criticism.
But Guerin and Hynes do.
The solution to this impasse looks like a shorter term deal. He works on his game, proves he can produce offense without cheating defensively. He will then get paid if he does, or he doesn’t then likely gets traded before his next contract is due.
I have a posted a tentative 2026 Mock that includes almost 5 rpiunds of prospects if you search 2026 NHL mock draft lines and click on “projected lines.”
Ray, where’s the best fishing near Vawn?
Hey SOP, had to google Vawn, not a big place!
I’m a further north Sask guy for fishing, like north of La Ronge and on the Churchill River, or the Heart lakes just north of Waskesui lake. Heard the Heart lakes have been hit and miss this year, which is odd.
But I called a bud who has a cabin on a lake about and 45 minutes east of Vawn and he said there’s fish in all the lakes around there. Not northern good, but you should get some action at Jackfish lake which is right there, and it’s called Jackfish for Pete’s sake! He has ice fished at Turtle lake just north of Vawn and done well too. Turtle is probably a safer bet.
Jackfish is part of NB Provincial park and a nice area. Might have to ask the locals where the best spots are, and then do the opposite as they’re likely lying!
Lol. Thanks, Ray. I’ll do just that.
I want to throw this question out again during the offseason when not much is happenning.
Does anyone have any knowledge of a double offer sheet that happened to Edmonton Holloway/Broberg? It is called a “rare” event.
Well when and who was involved in another rare event? Which hockey teams?
Don’t really get how you get over a $4M raise like samburg in Winnipeg? Most people that work in jobs don’t receive an increase in pay like that. And looking @ the examples foleyd7
list above, don’t get how these players can successfully command these salaries asks? We all talk about the contracts these top tier guys get as being exhorbitant, but these guys at the other end as well. Dosen’t this make filling out the roster a financial nightmare for most teams. You know the argument is mostly you have to have money for the other guys so your not top heavy? At this rate; however, these deals eat up a substantial portion of what you can afford to pay out? I don’t understand financial business like most others but these deals seem to me like way over payment for many players. To me, no wonder guerin offered what he did. Enlighten me because I don’t get it!!
Cause arbitration would have taken him to ufa. Then teams have to outbid other teams. If you are among the best in the world at your trade and have businesses trying to outbid each other for your service you can make bank. It works the same way in other fields that have to bid for talent.
Tommy the difference in a players new salary (contract) can be very different than the previous one simply because they are contracted employment. The player is the commodity and if that player has a perceived value based on relevance to their market, i.e. a specific role or trait you have which is similar or better than current options in that marketplace allows you to command and be recognized a certain value which can be contracted out for specific years. Both parties believe that amount justifies the talent or the ability of the player to perform to that set of terms outlined in a new contract.
The same can be said when a player who was previously making $11m to under $5m.
Wow, Lyle is posting rather early!
Rossi for Newhook and Jarid Davidson and the 2026 NJ 4th.
I’m sure Guerin will agree to this after his frontal lobotomy.
Hey, works for me. Highly doubt it’ll work for Guerin.
While Guerin won’t touch this, I have been on record for a couple of years about Jared Davidson being the dark horse centre among Hab prospects.
Others come before him but if you watch his game he’s one of those skill guys, clutch scorers, carries teams on his back who also is pugnacious frequently protecting linemates, fighting bigger guys and usually winning.
He’s a bigger, Brendan Gallagher with more skill and strength.
This is a guy I’d hate to trade before he had a few cups of coffee in the NHL.
I’d offer Newhook and Oliver Kapanen for Rossi.
Guerin would say no to that too.
Exactly! Jarid is coming along and is exactly the type of player that Billy wants in his lineup!
Lukosevicius doesn’t belong to the Habs, Gurin could get him on his own.
The NHL is all caught up in size. With them drafting Hagens,they probably think they would be a little short in size at that position. Boston I am talking about. I do like both players skill level.Put size on their wings.
Honestly don’t get Minnesota. Sure, Rossi is listed at 5’9, but also a pretty solid 193lbs. Has back to back 82 game seasons. Their 1C is Ek, who missed considerable time last year and 2 best seasons are 64 and 61 points. Rossi already has a 60 point season. I don’t even know who their 2c is without Rossi signed. They’re showing 10 m in cap space.Zuc turns 38 next month, and is in last year of his deal. Will he be back? Will Tarasenko? Even with Kaprizov looking at a big payday, surely there’s enough for Rossi.
Don’t forget, Rossi is a playoff dud with minimal ice time.
He only had 2g 1A in 6 games.
Eriksson Ek, 1C, three times the TOI, had a whopping 0g 3A in 6 games.
Rossi only had 3 pts in 11 min per game.
Yet his 3 points were 5th in playoff scoring for the team. So a LOT of players had less points than him with way more minutes.
One could also argue that If he got 23-25 min a night like Boldy and Kirill, he’d have been 2nd in scoring.
He also wasn’t a minus player in the post season, so not sure exactly why the minutes were reduced so much.
And while he might not be tall, he’s not necessarily a skinny, weak kid.
It all just seems odd. This article was an interesting read written during the playoffs htis year.
https://hockeywilderness.com/news-rumors/minnesota-wild/the-marco-rossi-madness-has-to-end-r30669/
Zary for Rossi? Hmmmm
I have always felt coming out of their first contract GMs play hardball. B. Point I recall was offered less than $7m .
If Rossi continues his current trajectory he will get paid …on his next contract..
I don’t know about that, Montreal nailed the core down right off their ELCs, Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Guhle none with a NTC/NMC
HF30, I think Suzuki has a NTC that kicks in next year, Caufield in 28/29, Sladkovsky in 30/31 & Guhle in 29/30.
Guys, players are not eligible for NTC/|NMC’s until they are eligible to be a UFA. They are exactly aligned. That’s why you don’t see them until those years when players sign long contracts coming out of their ELC’s.
Ray,
You’re right obviously on the modified NTC but the real point is Hughes locked his core down to long term contracts right out of ELC.
He didn’t wait for them to prove it again with a bridge. Those high or at least we’ll paying deals seem like a bargain now.
Ya, Hughes has done well IMO. That’s the big bets GM’s make, lock them up long term while they likely cost less, but not sure things yet.
If they’re right, it’s an advantage, if they’re not, they’re an anchor. If they wait on a guy, and he hits later they pay more.
If I had to guess Minny has too many questions on Rossi to invest big $$ on.
It’s the debate about pay for potential or pay for past work. Both carry risk.
Ronny nailed it. It’s commodity pricing. And all of that.
Pierre Dorrion’s lasting gift to the Sens was locking up the core before he left.
Sanderson
Stutzle
Tkachuk
Batherson
he saw the potential…paid them…and in term too. AND only Brady got a no move. Ya we can hang some dumb moves on Pierre but he set the Sens up with long term cost certainty. Now win a cup with them.
And Chabot! 😉
Wow, thanks for the education!! Those responses make sense. i understand that I think basically; they are commodities in the market place. But we’re talking millions of dollars in increases, not just like maybe a thousand dollar raises or several thousand. That’s quite a significant raise. But that’s what this is business/entertainment, the best of the best!
Also don’t forget that elc’s artificially devalue many players at the start of their career.
Well there are bonuses attached to the ELC of the very talented young players. Some for more then the salary listed!
The thing about Rossi is it isn’t about pay now or pay for potential. Minnesota is being pennywise and pound foolish.
If they doubt him, 5x$5m is an overpay for a small guy who doesn’t deserve big minutes.
If they think he is good enough to sign him for 5, pay him, after all, he gave Granlund 3x$7m who is 1 inch taller and 10 years older.