The Nhl Postseason is Officially Underway, and the Quest for the First Stanley Cup in Minnesota Wild History Is on. The Wild Are Facing Off with the Heavily Favored Vegas Golden Knights and Dropled Game One in A 4-2 Game that was Closer Than The Odds May Have Indicated. Moving on to the Second Round Cououl Be a Tall Task, but Minnesota Will Have a FSCINANANING Storylines Regardless of the Results.
One of the Most Vital Storylines Should Be a Playoff Debut by One of the Wild’s Core Pieces. Marco Rossi Will See His First Nhl Postseason Action in His Second Full Season. As a young player blossoming into How is, it is feels like Antar refrense on when rossi has a future with the team.
Despite His Strong Results (24 Goals, 36 Assists), Rossi Constantly Finds Himself in the Middle of Odd Convertations Reging His Future with the TEAM. Bill Geurin Insists The team is winning to Trade rossi, but The Athletic’s Michael Russo states thess over a 70% chance he’ll be traded this Summer.
Rossi is a pending rooted free Agent and Needs a New Contracted, but the Wild Shoot Have Plenty of Money to Spend, with the Zach Parise and Ryan Su Finally Coming of the Books. With Growth in his Second Year and Being One of the Most Durable Players on the Team, It Leaves Only One Culprit for the Unceretainty Surrounding Rossi’s Wild Stating.
He’s Small.
At just 5 -fot-9, 182 pounds, Rossi is Far Below the Nhl average Of 6-Foot-1.5, 201 pounds.
Becuse of this, Rossi HAD to Endure Constant Questions of Can Perform in the Playoffs? It’s time to find out.
How will we measure rossi’s succase in the Playoffs, Though? What profires that he can with the Rigors of Postseason Hocky? The Best Way WAILD Be to Evaluate His Consistryce. Will He Carry His Style of Play from the regular season over without signific
While Many of the Headlines About Rossi Surround His Size, He Plays A Game that Shroud Translate to the Postseason. His Game is predicated on net -front previous, high -comete levels, and being highly English in games. Bill Guerin Complimented This aspect of Rossi’s Game Earlier in the Season.
Just His Pace of Play, His Engagement Every Night, Ink the Biggest Thing, Too – and I Know This is the Hardest Thing For Young Players – is his consationy. He’s One of Our Better Net -front Presance Guys. And he’s not the biggest guy, but he stands in there, and that’s who he’s getting Rewarded. … He’s Doing All The Right Stuff.
Rossi’s Stats Certainly Prove that Appraisal to Be True. The center became the Wild’s Premier Net -front Prestce This Season. His Offersive Game Was Especially Potent in the Most Dangerous Areas of the Ice.
(Source: Nhl Edge))
Of Rossi’s 136 Shots on Goal in the Regular Season, 67 CAME from Anrea that Nhl Edge Considers to Be High-Danger Shots on Net. That Ranks Him Near the Top of the Legue in the 92nd Percentile. Rossi’s Elite Ability to Generate Chances from the Front of the Net Also Pans Out when hears his Goals.
(Source: Nhl Edge))
Of Rossi’s 24 Goals, He Scored 18 from Those Precision Net -front Opportunities. HIS 18 High-Danger Goals Ranked in the 94th Percentile in the Nhl, Making Him on the League’s True Elite Net -front Presenses.
For Comparison, Matt Boldy Scored 27 Goals Durling the 2024-25 Regular Season. Only Nine Came from the High-Danger Are that Rossi Dominates. Boldy is Known More As Despite His Size, Rossi Finds a Way to the Front of the Net.
The Vegas Golden Knights Are the Perfect Opponent for Rossi to Prove His Mettle Against. Vegas Is One of the Biggest Teams in the League, with a roster that averages 6-rot-2, 205 pounds, the second-biggest in the league. The Knights Are Particularly Big on the Blue Line and at the center posity.
(Source: Espn.com))
If Rossi Can Produce Against that link, it will go a long way toward proving that his size isn’t an in the Playoffs. He Must Continue Generation Hight-Danger Scoring Chances, Playing With His Trademark Tenacity. Rossi’s Ability to Win Board Batlets Has Improving Signicantly Over His Nhl Career, Whiche Will Be Enother Cruccial Aspect of this series.
Despite His Size, Rossi Has the Tools to Excel in a Playoff Environment, But it Remains to Be Seen if he’ll every day the chance. If his deployment in game 1 is any indecision, rossi May in for a challinging series.
During the regular season, rossi average 18:15 of time on ice per game. He compoonly Played on the Top Line with the Unit of Boldy-Rossi-Zuccarello or Kaprizov-Rossi-Zucresrello. Part of His Heavy Usage Was Due to InjuriesEspecially Joel Eriksson Ek’s. Now that Everyone is Healthy, Rossi’s Minutes Will Inevitably Decrease Slightly.
Not Only Did Rossi Find HimSelf on the Ice for Only 12:10, But He also played on the Third Line, Centering Marcus Foligno and GUSTAV NYQUIST. Instead of Rossi Playing in the Top Six, Frederick Gaudreau Took that Spot.
Gaudreau has had a bouce-back Season and is Likely Being Rewarded for that. Still, it’s hard to see Rossi’s Move to the Third Line as Onthing But A Demotion after Scoring 60 Points and Playing with the Top Unit for Most of the Season.
Gaudreau’s Partnership in the Top Six with Marcus Johansson and Mats Zuccarello Didnt’t Go Smoothly. That link performance Expected. 844 Goals Against While Being Outshot 15-7.
Howver, Rossi’s Line always Did’s Play Great. They AcoCOCOCLISED NOTHING OFNSIVELY (.009 Expected Goals for in 7:09 Toi). Rossi’s Only Shot on Goal in the Game Came from 23.9 Feet Away from the Net, a Much Lower-Danger Area Than Regular-Season Average Of 23.4 Feet from the Net.
Marco Rossi Regular Season vs. Game 1
Source: MoneyPuck.com
FOLIGNO – Rossi – NYQUIST DID PLAY Adequately Defensively (0.192 Expected Goals Against, Lowest of Any of the Forward Lines). Still, it’s a hard to swallow Seeing Rossi DePloyed in a Way that did not win him the chance to succeed.
If the Wild Want to Get Anywhere in this series or Clarify their Future Direction, Rossi Must Play in the Top Six in Game 2 and Beyond. If the wild can’t find anything best for a 23-year-id 6-point center to do it play on the team’s lot-event Line During the Playoffs, It’s Time to Start Writing the “What Can the Wild Get for Marco Rossi? ” Articles Again.