The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to try to bring in promising young players to their roster. Due to this, they have been viewed as a potential suitor for Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi.
Rossi, 23, has been the subject of trade speculation since the regular-season, and that has carried over to this summer. With the Penguins needing a young, impactful center, he stood out as a prime potential target for them. However, a new update on Rossi may put an end to that thought.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Joe Smith and Michael Russo argued that the Wild could now elect to hold onto Rossi rather than trade him. They noted that there are not many realistic top-six center targets available for Minnesota to replace Rossi, especially with their rumored top target, Brock Nelson, recently signing a three-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche.
If the Wild are unable to find a proper replacement for Rossi, it would be entirely understandable if they decided to keep him in Minnesota. This is especially so when noting that the 2020 ninth-overall pick is coming off an impressive campaign, setting new career highs with 24 goals, 36 assists, and 60 points in 82 games.
Overall, Rossi would be an excellent pickup for a retooling team like the Penguins, he may not be an option for them right now, given this latest update from Smith and Russo.
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