Marco Rossi could be the center that the Bruins need.
It doesn't seem like many people are mentioning the Boston Bruins as a potential fit for Marco Rossi. The 23-year-old center is in a stalemate with the Minnesota Wild when it comes to his contract talks, and Bill Guerin might not have any choice but to shop him this offseason. This summer could be ripe for some offer sheets, and after Rossi turned down a five-year, $25 million deal from the Wild, a team will have an appetite for offering him much more.
Rossi comes with some concerns. He fell out of favor in Minnesota this postseason when he ended up on the team's fourth line. At his best, he had a career year in the regular season with 60 points in 82 games. The Wild didn't surround him with a ton of talent, but he managed to make it work. He was also a near point-per-game player in the AHL, and dazzled with 35 assists in each of his seasons there.
The Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm, and David Pastrnak line worked at the end of the season, but that doesn't mean it has to be set in stone for 2025-26. The first hurdle for the Bruins will be getting a contract for Geekie, which is no guarantee. However, if the Bruins were able to work out a deal for Rossi, the line combinations could be thrown into a blender.
If you're Don Sweeney, you aren't acquiring Rossi to play with anyone in the bottom six. He would have to be paired with Pastrnak to allow his true playmaking abilities to shine, which is what the Wild failed to do for him consistently. Pastrnak makes those around him better (see Geekie in 2024-25), and Rossi would undoubtedly have a new career-high in points if he spent 82 games with the Bruins' superstar.
Sweeney and Co. have been busy on the search for a new coach, which could be why the Bruins haven't been mentioned in Rossi talks. As the vision for the team's future takes shape with the new coach, roster construction will be the next priority. If the Bruins are serious about making this a retool rather than a rebuild, Rossi has to be someone they at least consider.
It's hard to suggest that Boston should trade their first-round pick from this year. Does Rossi have a higher upside than the center they eventually trade? Having the seventh-overall pick brings it into the conversation, as the top five of this year's draft are where the real stars live. Sweeney could likely argue that they know what they have in Rossi, compared to someone like Jake O'Brien.
The problem for the Bruins is that they've had so many bad drafts and attempts at contending at the trade deadline that the prospect cupboard is too bare to trade away top-ten draft picks. If the front office could find a way to keep this first-round pick and also acquire Rossi, that'd be the move, but a bidding war could bring the seventh overall pick into play.
