Rossi opens up about how Wild treated him before trade to Canucks
Even though the Vancouver Canucks have largely been losing hockey games, Marco Rossi seems content in his new home.
“I feel good here,” Rossi told Daily Hive recently. “It’s a great city to play for. Teammates have been awesome, coaches, so I’m really happy to be here.”
Even though Rossi is on a moribund Canucks team, there may be a simple reason why he’s enjoying his time in Vancouver.
The Canucks actually want him.
Rossi spoke to Michael Russo of The Athletic ahead of his return to Minnesota about how he was treated by the Wild franchise.
âI didnât feel that energy [by them] when my contract was coming up, so even though I was pumped to re-sign, you donât really know if they love you.”
Despite a barrage of trade rumours last offseason, Rossi ended up signing a three-year, $15 million deal with the Wild.
Prior to signing, the Canucks were at the forefront of those rumours.
Irfaan Gaffar of Canucks Army reported last fall that the Canucks turned down a couple of deals for Rossi. One involved Tom Willander, the other was reportedly for the 15th overall pick (which became Braeden Cootes), Aatu RĂ€ty, and ArtĆ«rs Ć ilovs.
There was a time when Wild fans were salivating at the idea of Rossi (9th overall, 2020 draft) and Matt Boldy (12th overall, 2019 draft) elevating the team to contender status.
Both players were stellar for the Wild last season. When the playoffs started, Boldy torched the Vegas Golden Knights with four goals in his first three postseason games in 2025. Rossi, however, was basically buried on the fourth line, despite finishing second on the team with 60 points in 82 games.
“In that moment, youâre always thinking team first,” he said to Russo. “But I thought I had a really good regular season. I mean, 60 points, and then just after one game, theyâre making a decision like that.”
“It just showed me they had, like, no respect for me.”
That doesn’t appear to be the case in Vancouver.
There’s a zero per cent chance that Rossi gets buried on the fourth line in Vancouver. On the contrary, he’s probably the Canucks’ best centre.
Since March 1, Rossi is second on the Canucks with 15 points in 15 games, trailing only Brock Boeser. Ironically, he’s also accomplished this despite head coach Adam Foote giving him just 12:57 of five-on-five ice time per game over the latest stretch. That ranks eighth among Canucks forwards, and it’s behind both Elias Pettersson and Teddy Blueger.
However, Rossi is making the most of his minutes, and he’s benefited from getting time on the first power play unit.
Despite some quibbles with how Foote utilizes the 24-year-old centre, it’s clear that Rossi has found a home in Vancouver.
“When I got traded, you were sad, but on the other side, you were really happy knowing Vancouver really wanted you,” he said.