Wild RFA Linked to Canucks

The Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks could be preparing for a swap of scoring forwards. It won’t come via the usual trade route, but these two teams could win up securing one of the other team’s best offensive players.

Breakaway On SI previously reported that Brock Boeser of the Canucks was a top target for the Wild, and many pundits around the league anticipate a deal gets done when free agency begins. But the Canucks seemingly have a backup plan to losing the former 40-goal scorer, and his name is Marco Rossi.

The restricted free agent has been the subject of conversation and debate since the end of the 2024-2025 season. He’s coming off a career-high offensive campaign, scoring 24 goals and adding 36 assists for 60 points in 82 regular season games. He also added two goals and an assist during the team's first-round loss in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With two years of improving production, he is seeking a long-term extension. The Wild are hesitant to give him a large contract this soon, but the Canucks are more willing to play ball.

That leaves the potential for a deal before July 1, when Rossi could sign an offer sheet with another organization. The Wild have a bit over a week to facilitate a trade before the floodgates open.

Michael Russo recently reported that the Canucks offered a first-round pick in the upcoming draft to acquire Rossi, but the Wild turned it down.

“While (Wild General Manager Bill) Guerin would likely take a player and a first-rounder and perhaps flip the first-rounder elsewhere, he definitely doesn’t want just a first-rounder," he wrote. "That’s the offer (the No. 15 pick) that the Vancouver Canucks likely made for Rossi."

The latest updates from Russo show that the two teams are talking. Other teams have inquired on the young Minnesota center, but Vancouver appears the closest to landing him and the running favorite. With just a few days before the 2025 NHL Draft, the clock is ticking on a potential trade between the Wild and Canucks.