The first preseason game is over and Marco Rossi did it very well.
The 21-year-old from Vorarlberg shone in the 3-2 win following overtime once morest Stanley Cup winners Colorado Avalanche with two assists, including that for the game-winning goal. The result was hymns of praise from all sides.
LAOLA1 scout Bernd Freimüller takes a look at the Minnesota Wild and the Austrian prospect’s chances of a regular spot at the start of the season:
What happened in the summer at the Wild?
With a new contract, Kevin Fiala would no longer have fit into the Wild’s salary scheme, he was traded to Los Angeles.
The same, albeit on a much lower level, was true of defender Dmitri Kulikov, who signed on as a free agent in Anaheim. Goalie Cam Talbot was traded to the Ottawa Senators to avoid a potential clash with Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Swede Filip Gustavsson came in for him in exchange. Also no longer with the Wild: The two wings Nick Bjugstad (Arizona Coyotes) and Nicolas Deslauriers (Philadelphia Flyers).
GM Bill Guerin was little active except for the Talbot-Gustavsson trade, only bringing in smaller names such as defender Andrej Sustr, wing Nic Petan or college center Samuel Walker – all of which were more likely to be squad expansions or candidates for the AHL team in Iowa, Sustr but replace the injured Jon Merrill at the beginning of the season.
It wasn’t until late August that Guerin signed Sam Steel, a man who had been an NHL regular for the past few years but mightn’t justify his status as a former first-rounder with the Anaheim Ducks.
What regarding the salary cap?
Not good, but that’s nothing new. Because this season, the Wild’s cap problems are just beginning. The two paid Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are the Wild this year with almost 13 million dollars on the bag, the number will increase in the next two years to almost 15 million each.
In other words, the NHL’s salary cap this year is 82.5 million, but it’s roughly 70 million for the Wild, with the rest set aside as dead pay for the absent Suter and Parise.
But since Guerin has been very careful up to now and has not used Fiala and Kulikov’s services, he still has almost six million in play money, which he will by no means use up. In general, however, it is expected that he will sign another striker.
However, this can only be expected – if it happens at all – just before the start of the season, when some teams (especially Montreal or Vegas) have to become “salary-compliant” and some interesting cracks only have to be paid via salary transfer (i.e. once morest “future considerations” or even via Waivers) will be available.
How was Marco Rossi’s summer?
Camps, camps, camps – between the development camp in July and the rookie camp as a preliminary to the main camp, there were a few weeks in Vorarlberg, which Rossi also used for his camps organized with the help of sponsor “Moser Medical”.
The big difference to the previous summer: Back then he had to approach his heart disease step by step, today he was able to train fully, which of course coach Dean Evason also noticed: “His year in Iowa was great, now he’s also fully fit. Last year he might not have been fit for the camp due to his illness, now he is and we expect a lot from him.”
What are Rossi’s chances of a lineup spot at the start of the season?
And how has he fared so far?
After the first preseason game (a 3-2 win once morest the Colorado Avalanche), Rossi also received praise from Evason, not only because of his remarkable assist to the game winner: “He played in the power play and in the PK and the pass to the winning goal was typical for him. He presents himself as belonging here.”
However, this game only ended the first phase of the camps and tryouts, where many minor leagues and prospects were used on both sides. The Wild made their first cuts on Monday, with 51 players remaining in camp. In the remaining six preseason games, the lineups will of course look more interesting and, especially at the end, will allow conclusions to be drawn regarding the squad at the beginning of the season.
Rossi’s linemates from yesterday at the start of the game (Mason Shaw and Mitchell Chaffee) are not an issue for the Wild season. Also, the fact that he trained between Connor Dewar and Brandon Duhaime shouldn’t be overstated, the Wild’s bottom six will change frequently.
One thing is clear: With Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman, the first two center positions have been taken. Hartman will line up on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. Ekman Ek usually centers a very strong two-way line with Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway. Greenway is out following two operations for the start of the season, Tyson Jost might replace him there.
Candidates for the center spots in the other two lines are Rossi, Freddy Gaudreau (a favorite of the coach, but who can also play on the wing at any time) and Steel, Jost might also move into the middle at any time. Guerin will therefore be looking for a wing rather than another center. Fiala’s 85 points from the previous season have to be replaced first.
Of course Rossi will have to continue to prove himself in camp but it would be a surprise and disappointment if he weren’t at least in the squad when the season starts on October 11th. Guerin’s expectations haven’t changed: “We want to see in him what we drafted him for – a strong and confident two-way play and for him to become an important factor on our special teams.” These weren’t exactly one of the Wild’s strengths last season, so any help is welcome.
Whether Rossi will then be among the top twelve forwards or in 13th place (behind Hartman, Ekman Ek, Gaudreau and Steel) in the stands is of course still open. The Wild might start the season with just 12 forwards, however, since they play four home games and have the ability to bring in an AHL player if needed, which might save Guerin a few bucks.
Steel has the advantage over Rossi that he can only be sent to the AHL via waivers. So if the Wild don’t want to lose him once more right away, he’ll probably stay in the NHL squad. As an entry-level deal player, Rossi is of course still not an issue for the waivers and can switch freely between NHL and AHL.
Regarding Rossi’s potential companions: Matt Boldy, whom he of course still knows from his AHL days, and Gaudreau would be candidates for an offensively strong third line, while Dewar and Duhaime would rather be people for a fourth formation. But that doesn’t include injuries (other than Greenway’s), Guerin’s eventual re-signing, and players who stand out at camp (like Adam Beckman last year, or maybe Petan this year).
Day by day and game by game (neither Rossi nor any other player will deny all) the coffee slop reading will become more and more assured truth…
Text source: © LAOLA1.at
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