Negotiations between the Minnesota Wild and Marco Rossi didn’t just drag on; they turned tense, leaving fans on edge. Days went by with no news, and it started to feel like a deal might never happen. When the announcement finally came on Aug. 22, the sense of relief for the Wild and Rossi was obvious. Still, not everyone believed the fix was that simple, and swirling talk pointed toward other solutions.
Why Did an Insider Suggest JJ Peterka as the Solution to Marco Rossi’s Standstill?
Rossi put up a strong season with the Wild, finishing right behind Matt Boldy in point totals. His ability to step up at just twenty-three years old made him one of Minnesota’s key faces. With the three-year, $15 million contract locked in, the team and its fans could breathe easier. Despite the relief, some insiders questioned if things might have gone differently.
During his appearance on “The Sheet,” insider Jeff Marek threw out a bold idea: the potential for a Rossi-for-JJ Peterka swap. Marek admitted, “I don’t know whether I just talked myself into it because it made sense, but I really wondered if we were going to see Rossi for Peterka.” This conversation happened as the Wild’s contract talks with Rossi stalled. Many fans started to wonder if a new right winger could have switched up the team’s dynamic.
Looking at Peterka’s situation, he also just wrapped up his entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres. After becoming a restricted free agent, he ended up being traded to the Utah Mammoth. Marek still believed Peterka would’ve fit well in Minnesota.
Peterka posted sixty-eight points in seventy-seven games last season, showing he could keep up offensively. With twenty-seven goals, he matched up well against Rossi, especially in scoring. Marek said, “Now, he ended up going to Utah, but it just looked like one of those deals that I said, You know what, this one just makes too much sense, and the money will probably measure off.”
Later in the show, Pierre McGuire backed up Marek’s thinking. He added, “That actually did make a lot of sense. And I had heard that from other people, Jeff. This is the first I’ve heard it from you. I had heard that, but I see what Buffalo tried to do there.”
Peterka’s contract numbers jumped up, landing him a five-year, $38.5 million deal with an AAV of $7.7 million. Working through the debate, Marek and McGuire agreed that Rossi’s work ethic was unmatched. People around the Wild always said Rossi was the one grinding harder than anyone else. While Rossi’s initial contract talks aimed for numbers similar to Boldy’s, ranging in the six-to-seven million range, he still found solid ground with his final salary.