It looks like a potential Pittsburgh Penguins' restricted free agent (RFA) target has been taken off the board.
On Friday - after months of anticipation - the Minnesota Wild inked RFA center Marco Rossi to a three-year, $15 million deal. Rossi, 23, registered 24 goals and 60 points last season for the Wild.
Earlier in the summer - and dating back to the 2025 trade deadline - there was a lot of trade talk surrounding Rossi. Word was that the Wild - for one reason or another - were not enamoured with the 5-foot-9, 182-pound forward. Many expected Minnesota to potentially move on from Rossi for the right price.
It's a bit unclear what the asking price would have been for Rossi, but given his status as a first-round pick (ninth overall in 2020) and the season he had, it would likely have cost a good roster player in addition to a first-round pick, which put the Penguins in a precarious position in terms of being legitimate contenders for his services.
With Rossi off the board, the biggest RFA names left on the market include Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish and New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes.
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