Just like part one of this series, the Carolina Hurricanes are in the biggest offseason in a while when it comes to roster construction. With the cap going up to $95.5 million this upcoming season from $88 million in 2024-25, they will have plenty of cap space to bolster this roster. That being said, they will have $28.415 million in cap space with some high-priced contracts coming off the books. Furthermore, with 21 picks in the next three drafts, they have enough draft capital to add some assets into potential trades if necessary. Also, they could go down the avenue of the offer sheet. Everyone saw the St. Louis Blues offer sheet Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2024. Could we see more offer sheets this upcoming offseason? If so, there are some paths the Hurricanes could take to add a second-line center to the roster. The player to keep an eye on? It’s Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi.
Multiple Avenues to Acquire Rossi
Rossi is set to become a restricted free agent (RFA) this summer after having a 24-goal, 60-point season in 82 games for the Wild in 2024-25. Michael Russo of The Athletic gave some insight into the whole situation surrounding Rossi and the Wild (from “Wild and Marco Rossi remain at contract impasse as trade possibilities emerge: ‘Only time will tell’” The Athletic, June 1, 2025). From reports, it seems like both Rossi and the Wild are far apart in contract negotiations, with Rossi wanting something north of teammate Matt Boldy’s seven-year, $49 million extension that he signed back in January 2023.
On the Wild side of the whole situation, they have given Rossi two contract offers. One was made during the winter, where it’s believed to be a five-year, $25 million contract, which would be an average annual value (AAV) of $5 million per season. Boldy’s AAV puts him at $7 million per season. That begs the question: What is the AAV that Rossi and his camp are targeting?
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Is Rossi looking to match the $7 million AAV or be in the Josh Norris range ($7.95 million AAV) or something around $8 million? IF that’s the case, there could be some conversations to be had if you’re the Hurricanes, if they are looking to snag their next 2C to slot in behind Sebastian Aho. The Feldkirch, Austria native is that dynamic playmaker who could boost the second line along with the top six as a whole. Furthermore, he could be the main scoring threat on the Hurricanes’ second power-play unit. His 60 points in his second full season in the NHL would have had him third on the Hurricanes in scoring, only behind Aho (74) and Seth Jarvis (67). Now the question remains, if the Hurricanes do make a move for Rossi, will it be the offer sheet route, or will it be in a trade?
The first option: the Hurricanes go the offer sheet route. As the Hurricanes stand right now, they are only eligible to use their 2026 second-round pick ($2,340,038 – $4,680,076) or go the insane route of four first-round picks (≥ $11,700,193), and honestly, the latter does not make sense for a player like Rossi. While he is a fantastic player at 23 years old, he is just not $11.7 million per season good to give up that many picks. In such a case, the only option is to go with the $2.34 million to $4.68 million range for an offer sheet. The only issue is whether the Wild match that if Rossi signs the paperwork? General manager Bill Guerin, in recent days, has said he’s not “dying” to move on from him. It will be interesting if the Wild match the Hurricanes’ offer in that instance. However, if the Hurricanes feel like that won’t be enough, there is the avenue of trading for Rossi’s rights.
Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild (Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images)
If the Hurricanes do trade for Rossi’s rights, that will give them the extra eighth season in contract negotiations. The extra year can drop the AAV down some, and give the Hurricanes another year of control for a player with the skillset of Rossi. That said, what could a possible trade look like? As of now, there is no concrete idea of what the Wild are asking for; however, if it’s a depth center to at least give them some stability in that instance, that could be a good foundation for a trade. Also, the Hurricanes will need to add some draft capital as well, since the Wild only have four draft picks for the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft. While they do have $15.786 million in cap space, there could be wiggle room to add a center from the Hurricanes while gaining picks for the upcoming draft. Here is what a possible trade package from the Hurricanes could look like to acquire Rossi from the Wild:
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (five years remaining of $4.82 million AAV – ends 2029-30 season)
Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2025 third & 2025 sixth-round picks
Kotkaniemi is only 24 years old and is a player who could be in the midst of a “change of scenery” move, as he’s been in the doghouse over the last two seasons for the Hurricanes. He is someone who is built for more of a 3C role rather than where he is slotted with the Hurricanes, who currently have captain Jordan Staal in that spot. While the optics don’t look the greatest for the Kotkaneimi and Rossi swap, these are two players who could be in a spot to move on elsewhere from teams who may or may not want them. That is where the two draft picks for the upcoming draft make the difference.
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The Wild have only four picks in the upcoming draft, the Hurricanes have six, with two in Round 6, and they have the room to move some of those away. Could there be other draft pick options instead of the Lightning’s third and sixth rounders? Possibly, there could be a negotiation on what draft capital goes back to the Wild as sweeteners. Either way, the Hurricanes are in a position to move on from draft picks since the prospect pool is already deep for them, and could use it to acquire a high-end, talented center in Rossi. Slotting him behind Aho as the spine of the lineup and being on the second power-play unit as the main scoring threat could bode well for head coach Rod Brind’Amour and his staff. Plus, it gives the Wild more than just a second-round pick in 2026 if they go the offer sheet way and make them match it. If their ask to Rossi is a five by five, the best possible avenue is the trade route for Kotkaniemi and draft picks. However, if it’s not Kotkaniemi, there are other options to trade, player-wise and picks for Rossi.
Now, if they do make the trade for Rossi, what could the extension for him look like? Since the Hurricanes would have his signing rights, they would have the eighth-year option available in negotiations. In that case, AFP Analytics has two options for a Rossi extension with the Hurricanes following a trade. Option one: the short-term is a two-year, $9.092 million deal with the AAV being at $4.546 million per season. That is a cap hit of 4.76% on the Hurricanes’ overall cap space. Option two: the long-term is a seven-year, $51.728 million deal with an AAV of $7.389 million. That cap hit will be 7.74% compared to the short-term 4.76%. However, that is only a seven-year deal. If the Hurricanes have that eighth-year option, there is a good chance it could turn into an eight-year, $8 million AAV per season for Rossi. He would be 31 years old when that deal expires. Rossi fits right into the window of Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Jaccob Slavin, and others over the next eight seasons.
The trade and extension route might be the best option for the Hurricanes if they can get the Wild to agree on a deal that’s worthwhile for both sides. If they can manage the trade, then give Rossi the asking price he wants; he could be their 2C for the next eight seasons with tons of upside still to unlock. Plus, he will bolster the top-six and the power play for the Hurricanes moving forward.
Only time will tell if anything comes to pass. However, if you’re the Hurricanes, there is a case to be made to pursue Rossi and add him to this roster for the upcoming 2025-26 season and beyond.
Decisions, Decisions for the Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have a ton of options this summer. With tons of draft capital and $28.4 million in cap space to play with, they are expected to make some aggressive moves to improve the trajectory of the franchise. With the right additions, they could take a major step toward becoming Stanley Cup favorites. It is no secret that the Hurricanes require a true second-line center to bolster their roster. By adding Rossi, they could be doing just that. However it plays out with Rossi and/or acquiring other players, this could be the most interesting summer to date for the team in Carolina.
