Rossi has four goals and six assists through the month of March so far.
Things didn’t quite shake out the way many expected it to for Vancouver Canucks centre Marco Rossi after he was first acquired in a trade conducted with the Minnesota Wild. Lingering injuries sidelined him for the entire month of January and parts of February due to the Olympic break. However, with four goals and six assists since the start of March (eight games), it appears things have turned a corner for the 24-year-old.
Tuesday night’s win extended Rossi’s current goal-scoring streak to three games, with it also being his third multi-point game of the month. He’s provided many more looks offensively speaking since being paired with Brock Boeser and Liam Öhgren and has been analytically sound as well.
“I think he’s just getting more comfortable with our systems,” Boeser said of Rossi after his team’s 5–2 win on Tuesday night. “I think kind of sticking with the same linemates, I think that’s helping. I thought our first few games together, me, him, and Liam weren’t great, and then the last few I thought we’ve been a lot better and creating chances and reading off each other. So I think the chemistry is coming.”
One of the things that sets Rossi’s game apart from others is his high hockey IQ and spatial awareness. In a perfect world, his skillset is exactly what Vancouver — or any team — would want from a second-line centre. He can help create offence, win some draws, and work his magic on the power play, all of which he’s been doing since the end of the Olympic break.
“The way he has deception — he looked on the one pass he passed to Petey [...] live, I thought he did not even look at Petey, and that deception is like a split-second, and keep the goalie, maybe not as out, not far as out or going over there, but deception is huge,” Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote said after Tuesday’s game regarding Rossi’s awareness.
“His passes remind me [of] a high-level, like, to make a pass over there like that, with less spin, so Petey can get all of it,” the Head Coach added. “It’s a gift. To see Marco throw it over there gives Petey a way better chance of getting it out up faster.”
Against the Nashville Predators last Thursday, in a game that also ended with a Canucks win, Rossi also put together a three-point performance. Notably, as well, he didn’t shy away from making his feelings known after ending up on the receiving end of a hit from Nashville forward Tyson Jost. The scrappy element isn’t wholly part of his game, but it’s refreshing to see from a player that Vancouver has mainly relied on for his 200-foot play.
If this truly is the turning of the tide for Rossi in his time with Vancouver, then his play is coming at a key time for the organization’s decision-making. The forward’s role with the organization fits in well with where he’s at career-wise. While he’s on the ‘older side’ of the rebuild’s target age at 24, he still has enough experience in the league to potentially be a key leader when Vancouver does begin to take strides towards competing properly.
With the new wave of players seemingly being ushered into the organization, it’ll be players like Rossi who will help build a new era of Canucks hockey.
Mar 17, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Marco Rossi (93) skates out as the game’s second star against the Florida Panthers at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesMake sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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