Marco Rossi signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Minnesota Wild on Friday. It has an average annual value of $5 million.
The 23-year-old forward, who was a restricted free agent, had NHL career highs in goals (24), assists (36), points (60), power-play goals (seven), power-play points (16), game-winning goals (three), shooting percentage (17.6 percent) and ice time per game (18:15) in 82 games for the Wild last season. Rossi had three points (two goals, one assist) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"Marco’s shown steady progress," Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin said. "He went through a lot as a young player, coming through those COVID years and things like that, but he’s shown improvement every year and we hope he just continues to do that. I think he’s just kind of scratching the surface and I think this three-year contract gives him a good runway to really turn into the player that he can eventually become."
The No. 9 pick by Minnesota in the 2020 NHL Draft, Rossi was the second-highest Austria-born player to be taken in the NHL Draft (Thomas Vanek, No. 5 by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003). He has 101 points (45 goals, 56 assists) in 185 regular-season games.
"It feels good now," Rossi said. "It was a good summer, I could train a lot, but in the back of your head you know your contract is up and you always hear the talks from your agent and everything. I just tried to control what I can control and that was training and everything. But I feel good now and can’t wait to go back to Minny and see the boys."
The Wild, who lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the Western Conference First Round last season, have qualified for the playoffs in 11 of the past 13 seasons but have not advanced past the first round since 2015.
Minnesota opens the regular season at the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 9.
NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest contributed to this report
