The Minnesota Wild’s familiar playoff woes resurfaced this spring, as the team once again bowed out in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The franchise hasn’t advanced past Round 1 since 2015, when they beat the St. Louis Blues to reach the Western Conference Semifinal.
Today’s Wild look much different from that 2015 roster, which featured Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Devan Dubnyk, and Jason Pominville. Now, the team is navigating a contract standoff with restricted free agent forward Marco Rossi, while also working to lock franchise cornerstone Kirill Kaprizov into a long-term deal to keep him in St. Paul during the prime of his career.
General manager Bill Guerin, who has been tasked with resolving both situations, said neither development has caught him off guard.
“We’ve obviously made some changes, and I think we’ve gotten better,” Guerin told RG’s James Murphy. “Adding [Vladimir] Tarasenko and Nico Sturm has made us deeper. I know we’re still trying to extend Kirill Kaprizov and get Marco Rossi signed, but none of what’s gone on with those two guys is surprising. Overall, I feel like we’re in a good spot.”
Despite that optimism, Guerin admitted there’s been no significant progress on either negotiation.
“I don’t like to put much out publicly when it comes to negotiations, but no, there’s no real updates,” Guerin said. “The talks have been consistent, and I’ve been happy with them.”
Kaprizov was limited by injuries to just 41 games last season but still managed 25 goals and 31 assists. Rossi, meanwhile, posted career-best numbers with 24 goals and 36 assists.
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