DONE DEAL: Flyers have completed the deal a goaltender.

Trading for Marco Rossi is a swing the Flyers should take

As the focus shifts in Philadelphia to the upcoming draft, it’s increasingly likely that the Flyers look to shore up the most pressing organizational need – the center spot. Especially with the ongoing speculation over the arrival of Matvei Michkov, the pressure ramps up on the organization to find one or two dance partners for the Mad Russian.

Currently, the Flyers number one center prospect is…Massimo Rizzo? The struggling Elliot Desnoyers? And when you look at the NHL level, Ryan Poehling played first-line center minutes as the injured Sean Couturier struggled, while Morgan Frost took a step up to a serviceable second-center level. To make matters more complicated, Couturier recently switched agents to Pat Brisson, a move that has sparked rumors about the captain’s long-term future in Philadelphia.

So, where might the Flyers look to add a controllable, young, dynamic center?

Look no further than the Minnesota Wild’s Marco Rossi.

A recent report from The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco suggested that the 22-year-old forward was being made available by Wild general manager Bill Guerin – and while they aren’t actively shopping him, he is on the market in a “hockey trade”.

Add on to that the earlier reports from The Athletic’s Michael Russo, which detailed some reported previous discussion about a Cutter Gauthier-Marco Rossi swap when the maligned Flyers prospect wanted out, and it becomes clear that Rossi could be had for the right price. The Wild are currently waiting on the impending arrival of heralded center prospect Danila Yurov who will most likely be coming over to North America at the end of next season, and already have Joel Eriksson Ek taking down top-line center minutes next to Kirill Kaprizov. Add those two to the beloved Frederick Gaudreau and Ryan Hartman taking depth minutes and Mason Shaw or another young grinder playing the fourth-line role, and you have a young player potentially on the out.

And it feels like it’s for no reason. Guerin’s perception of Rossi is that he just doesn’t exactly like the way he plays the game, as a player who has fallen in love with his gutsy grinders like Marcus Foligno. This is an opportunity that Danny Briere should just jump all over.

Let’s take a look at Rossi’s game, how it could fit in Philadelphia, and some potential trades that could make sense to get Marco Rossi in the Orange and Black.

Rossi’s fit with the Flyers

It’s only been one full season in the NHL for Rossi, but the 22-year-old center had quite the first season with the Wild, at least at even strength. By the counting stats, Rossi put up 21 goals and 19 assists, with 18 of the goals coming at even strength. In rookie scoring, Rossi finished only one goal behind Connor Bedard’s mark of 22, and one ahead of both Utah’s Logan Cooley and Philadelphia’s Tyson Foerster. His rookie performance with the Wild might have been overshadowed by Calder-finalist Brock Faber on Minnesota’s backend, but make no mistake – Rossi had an excellent rookie campaign.

 

In all situations, Rossi carried a 56.87 CF% and a 60.49 xGF%, per Natural Stat Trick. Further, the Wild had 61.08% of the high-danger scoring chances with Rossi on the ice, as Rossi put up elite play-driving statistics in multiple categories. He was especially strong at even strength, though, operating at a 51.60 CF% and a 52.88 xGF%, good for fourth in both categories among qualifying Wild forwards. The only guys he trails? Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov, and Joel Eriksson Ek. That’s a pretty strong group for a rookie forward to have played his way into.

Rossi has the type of game Flyers fan would fall in love with – a hard nosed, high-skill, and unafraid style who is dependable in all three zones of the ice.

For a forward that’s only 5-foot-9 (a main reason why the Wild are open to moving on), you watch Rossi and he doesn’t jump out as a “small” player. He’s remarkably unafraid to get to the dirty areas, and he’s incredibly effective in front of the net. Courtesy of Evolving Hockey, Rossi’s heat map at even strength demonstrates this willingness to get below the dots, with all of his goals (shown in red) coming from in front of the net, below the dots, or barely beyond the dots. His shot attempts (shown in blue), obviously expand to beyond the dots a lot more, but Rossi found a ton of success going where players of his stature don’t usually go – right in front of the goaltender.