New details emerge on rejected trade involving Marco Rossi and the Vancouver Canucks
No upgrade, no problem?
Despite Vancouver Canucks management publicly warning fans at the end of last season that they may have to overpay for a centre, a trade never transpired.
The Canucks were talking trade with the Minnesota Wild for centre Marco Rossi, and now we know why.
According to a report from Irfaan Gaffar of Canucks Army, there were a couple of key pieces the Canucks were unwilling to trade.
The Wild reportedly wanted Tom Willander in a trade that the Canucks rejected.
“Then, someone told me it was 15th overall, Aatu Räty, and Arturs Silovs for Rossi, which the Canucks also said no to.”
After a contract standoff that lasted nearly the entire offseason, Rossi ended up signing a three-year deal worth $5 million per season on Aug. 22.
Earlier in the offseason, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported that the Canucks had offered up their 15th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, along with an unnamed player.
Of course, that 15th overall pick ended up being centre Braeden Cootes, who surprisingly is starting the season with the Canucks in the NHL.
The 24-year-old Rossi had 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games for the Wild last season. That total would have led all Canucks forwards.
He would clearly be the second-best centre on the Canucks right now. However, their depth would have been further hampered if both the 15th overall pick, which ended up being Cootes, and Räty had been included in the deal.
The fact that the Canucks reportedly turned down a Willander for Rossi swap is fascinating as well. Although Willander didn’t make the Canucks out of camp, he was one of the final cuts.
Should the Canucks have traded Tom Willander for Marco Rossi? (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
Minnesota might have envisioned Brock Faber 2.0 if the Canucks had said yes to that deal. Back in 2022, Wild general manager Bill Guerin traded star forward Kevin Fiala away in exchange for Faber and a first-round pick.
Much like Willander, Faber was a prospect who just completed his second year of college hockey. He’s now Minnesota’s No. 1 defenceman, leading the team with over 25 minutes of ice time last season.
There are some similarities between Faber and Willander in terms of their skating ability, coupled with the fact that neither of them was a major offensive producer in college at the same age.
While the Canucks never added Rossi or any other second-line calibre centre via trade, management has echoed that they remain on the hunt.
“We’ve identified that we want to build out the centre ice position,” Allvin said during the opening day of Canucks media availability.
“I think our analytics staff and scouting staff have done a really good job identifying potential players that might come available.”
“Patrik will still continue to look for centres,” president Jim Rutherford said during an appearance on Sportsnet 650. “And that’s not because we’re not happy with the guys we’ve got. It’s just to have more depth and more options.”