Winnipeg Jets are no longer a secret Continuously Find a second-tier center. Almost every season, there are endless chats about how the jets exchange someone on the deadline, or people looking for an upgrade in the area. Another season ended earlier than hoped, and it was time for them to try to find a long-term solution to the problem.
This is where Marco Rossi, a wild center in Minnesota, came in. Despite being a young, productive center, 23-year-old Rossi became a trade candidate. Now, Wild General Manager Bill Guerin isn’t calling him out, but his name should simply put every team in trouble.
The Jets seem to be another season with Vladislav Namestnikov, where it makes sense to trade for young, scalable forwards.
Rossi proved durable and valuable in the first two seasons
From the moment he drafted it, Rossi was suspicious of many people because of his figure. Standing at a height of only 5-foot-9, most people think he won’t be the durability of hitting the center at the NHL level. His career began as well after he was diagnosed with myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) after fighting Covid-19 in 2021.
Well, he recovered and finally able to step on the ice, he will only get better.
Rossi played most of his 2022-23 season in the Iowa Field in the American Hockey League (AHL) Iowa Field (AHL) and was awesome. He scored 16 goals and 51 points in 53 games and seemed ready to jump to the NHL, which he did.
Rossi scored a full 82 games in 2023-24, scoring 21 goals and 40 points in his first full NHL season. Playing all 82 games is a key turning point in his perception of his as a player, and he is able to build on this in 2024-25.
He played 82 games again, but this time his work has increased. Rossi recorded 24 goals and 60 points, finishing second in the team’s scoring, behind Matt Boldy (73 points). That’s why his name even appears as a trade target, which is confusing. When he actually enters, who will trade the 60-point, 23-year-old center?
The key here is Rossi ready to expand, and naturally, how he will see how the team handles Boldy’s expansion two seasons ago. Boldy scored 63 points in the final year of the entry-level contract, and when he was eligible for an expansion, he signed a $49 million contract worth a seven-year contract.
Rossi is also reportedly looking for something in that range, but the team seems to be hesitant. Since there is a vacancy now that teams can pour in, it is expected to attract a lot of interest.
Rossi can solve the problem of continuous second-tier centrality of jets
It all depends on the wild, willingness to provide a talented young center for a competitor, but the Jets should be willing to pay a huge price to expand their current window of scrambling, which hasn’t led to any real playoff success. No offense to Namestnikov, as he is a useful Swiss Army knife for the jet, but this is an area that needs clear upgrades.
Their next man is Adam Lowry, who is excellent in the role but can still be upgraded in an offensive sense. That said, Lowry couldn’t even start the season when he recovered from hip surgery.
Related: Jet 5 to 6 months after hip surgery’Lowry elimination
Last season, the discussion was whether Brad Lambert was ready to step in and become a useful top six center. This seems to be the case anymore for two reasons.
First, I’m not sure the Jets think he’s the center. Throughout the season, AHL’s Manitoba Moose, Lambert were transferred to the wings in favor of players like Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Dominic Toninato. This is not a move by an organization that wants to develop the next franchise center.
Second, his sophomore professional season took a big step from his rookie year when he scored 21 goals and 55 points in 64 games. In 2024-25, Lambert scored just seven goals and 35 points in a struggling moose. Now, some of these can be attributed to the entire team’s game taking a step back from the previous year, but from the start of watching, his game also differs a lot, and he moved to the Wing.
Naturally, external methods may be required because internal upgrades do not move the needle. Assume, it is assumed that the first and prospects of the jet aircraft are the characteristics of Rossi in terms of expansion. Suddenly, at least for the next few years, you have a second-tier center. Also, is the deal going forward or going by driver Nikolaj Ehlers. If he leaves, you will get a similar view. If he stays, then suddenly the second line might be even more dangerous.
Is it realistic?
Rossi is a restricted free agent without a contract, so any agreement depends on Rossi’s agreement to stay in Winnipeg for a long time. As a potential heir to the Second Line Center and Mark Scheifele, it’s a pretty obvious shot, a decent vision sold to the players. He has no official trade protection, but the behavior of contract talks is like one.
In terms of assets, Jets’ spending on the acquisition of expanded Rossi will be a huge investment. A young, productive and durable center with team control? Any team will love this, especially when the hat will rise in the years to come.
Now, this is about the severity of Jet General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, to meet the need for jets to get them out of this hump. It is usually not a Rossi capable player and is even rarer when it meets the exact needs.
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