What's I'm hearing about the Wild: Offer for Peterka, latest on with Rossi and more

New York Times

5 hours ago

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In an offseason that carries the expectation that the Wild will hit home runs simply because the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout dead money charges are being significantly reduced, one of the big fish the Wild have pursued was traded elsewhere Wednesday night.
As The Athletic has reported for weeks, JJ Peterka was one of the high-scoring wingers Minnesota — and several other teams — were pursuing. But the Buffalo Sabres dealt him to the Wild's Central Division rival, the Utah Mammoth, for right-shot defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward prospect Josh Doan. Peterka then promptly signed a five-year extension worth $7.7 million per.
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So what's going on with the Wild as the NHL Draft approaches this weekend and free agency Tuesday? (The Wild are presently without a first-rounder and have four picks in total.)
We'll have an opportunity to talk to Wild president and general manager Bill Guerin on Thursday at noon as a media contingency, and he's joining me when at 5 p.m. when I fill in for Dan Barreiro on KFAN later in the day (so tune in!).
So we'll ask Guerin for all the details. But for now, here's what I'm hearing from league sources:
You can bet several teams were surprised by the modest return for Peterka and felt they offered more.
One had to be the Wild.
The Wild offered center Marco Rossi as the starting point in any package and were willing to include another roster player and/or prospects and picks. But the Sabres weren't interested in adding another undersized forward, even though Rossi was so integral in the Wild making the playoffs and is coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons and career-high 60 points in just his second full season.
The Sabres were especially focused on adding a right-shot defenseman. Obviously, the Wild weren't about to trade Brock Faber, whose $8.5 million/eight-year extension kicks in next season, and it's unclear if David Jiricek was offered or if that would have moved the needle over Kesselring.
Guerin continues to tell teams he is not trading Rossi without a significant center or equivalent winger from a production standpoint as the main return. Several teams have shown interest in Rossi, but in a league where the cap is rising and plenty of teams have added cap space, the playoff contenders interested in him are mostly offering futures.
Unless Guerin could flip those picks in a subsequent deal, that doesn't move the needle.
So there is a chance Rossi stays put and then the Wild spend the offseason trying to bridge the gap on a new contract. But it theoretically could be a long, played-out contract dispute since Rossi doesn't have arbitration rights, meaning a third party won't be able to give Rossi a one- or two-year settlement.
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The problem will be the average annual value of a contract.
The Wild initially offered Rossi a five-year, $25 million contract earlier this winter. That wasn't accepted. Rossi countered with a shorter term at a higher AAV. That wasn't accepted. The Wild have no interest in offering Rossi a longer term in the $6 or $7 million range.
Essentially, the Wild like Rossi at a certain number. They recently offered Rossi a bridge deal at an AAV at less than $5 million. That, too, was rejected.
On a three-year term, Evolving-Hockey estimates Rossi is a $5.262 million player this summer. On a five-year term, the site has him at $6.067 million. On a seven-year term, it's at $6.688 million.
Last summer, the Carolina Hurricanes wanted to trade Martin Necas, but he wouldn't agree to an extension with the handful of teams Carolina found as landing spots. In the end, the two sides begrudgingly agreed to a two-year deal worth $6.5 million.
It's hard to believe Guerin gives in and offers a contract that high, but at the end of the day, a similar philosophy could be the end game. In other words, Rossi and the Wild agree on a two- or three-year term and Rossi either continues to live life producing for the Wild or it buys Guerin more time to find Rossi a new home (Necas was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the Mikko Rantanen deal) where he can excel and eventually hit that long-term contract.
So, we'll see where this goes, but as of now, it seems more likely Rossi isn't dealt if Guerin holds firm on wanting a significant return so he could replace Rossi's production.
It's likely the Wild make Brock Boeser a contract offer when he becomes a free agent 11 a.m. Tuesday, but this is not the done deal that has been reported.
Boeser, who is currently vacationing in Italy and returns to the Twin Cities on Monday, is keeping an open mind when it comes to which teams come after him Tuesday. It's expected he's going to get several different types of offers, from short-term deals with playoff like the Wild, to longer-term deals from teams that are more building and hope to be on the ride.
After Rossi, there aren't several roster players that the Wild are looking to move. Their blue line will be pretty much set after they re-sign Declan Chisholm, but the Wild hope to add a couple of forwards to the mix this summer.
Ryan Hartman currently has a no-move clause until Monday night. The Wild could theoretically look to trade him this offseason once he turns in his 15-team no-trade list Tuesday.
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One player the Wild have talked to other teams about is center Freddy Gaudreau, who has three more years left on his contract at $2.1 million. If the Wild traded him, that could put them in the market for another right-shot center.
Two players the Wild have inquired about are the New York Islanders' Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has one year left on his contract at $5 million, and Colorado's Charlie Coyle, the former Wild forward who has one year left on his contract at $5.25 million. Pageau is especially intriguing. He's a perennial 40-point guy who is excellent in the faceoff circle (59.6 percent last season and over 50 percent every year of his career) and on the penalty kill.
Some free-agent bottom-six centers the Wild could also pursue regardless of whether they shoot left or right include Sean Kuraly, Nico Sturm, Radek Faksa, Colin Blackwell, Luke Kunin and Nick Bjugstad.
(Photo of Marco Rossi: David Berding / Getty Images)