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Now what? Rumoured Vancouver Canucks trade target looks like he's staying put

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Aug 21 2025, 7:03 pm
Now what? Rumoured Vancouver Canucks trade target looks like he's staying put
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

There are a handful players around the NHL that have been on the tip of Vancouver Canucks fans’ tongues this summer.

Jack Roslovic is one. Mason McTavish is another.

But no player on another NHL team has generated more chatter than Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild.

The 23-year-old Swiss centre has seemingly been at odds with the Wild ever since the team was bounced from the playoffs in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights. Rossi, who scored 60 points (24-36-60) in just his second full season in the NHL, was used in a fourth-line role during the postseason by Wild head coach John Hynes.

A restricted free agent, Rossi is still unsigned. Minnesota management was reportedly cautious about giving the 5-foot-9 forward a long-term deal due to his size and a concern about his ability to excel in the playoffs.

That made him a prime target for trade rumours, and given their need for a second-line centre, the Canucks appeared to be near the front of the line.

Reports surfaced in early June stating the Canucks had interest in him, but a trade never materialized.

And now that door could be shutting.

Reporting out of Minnesota today from The Athletic’s Michael Russo suggests that Rossi is now close to signing a contract extension with the Wild.

Russo adds that it’s likely to be a short-term “bridge” deal, so don’t count out a trade down the road. But in the near term, it’s looking like the Canucks will need to look elsewhere to solve their centre depth issue.

McTavish, meanwhile, is still a restricted free agent without a contract, but it’s unclear if the Anaheim Ducks have an appetite to trade the former third overall pick. The 6-foot-1, 219-pound centre has played three full seasons at the NHL level, scoring 52 points (22-30-52) last season.

The Canucks would surely be interested in acquiring the 22-year-old — who wouldn’t? The more pressing question is whether Vancouver has the assets Anaheim covets to get a deal like that done.

A path of less resistance is Roslovic, who remains available. Canucks GM Patrik Allvin could get Roslovic right now if he were willing to meet the unrestricted free agent’s asking price.

While Roslovic can play centre, there are many who believe he’s better suited as a winger. Perhaps that helps explain why Canucks interest in the 28-year-old has reportedly “cooled.”

If Allvin doesn’t add a centre in the next month, the Canucks will enter training camp with a depth chart up the middle of Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil, Teddy Blueger, Aatu Räty, and Max Sasson.

Chytil, given his concussion history, is the wild card in that group. The 25-year-old said he’s been feeling good since April, though, and is working on becoming a more prolific goal-scorer.

“I love to score goals and I know I can score a lot more than what I’m scoring now, or even what my best season was,” Chytil said in a recent interview with John Shannon and Landon Ferraro. “We’re working with my skills coach around the net a lot. Working on my shot, working on one-timers. And this is the thing that I’m working the most.”

Chytil set career-highs in goals (22), assists (23), and points (45) during the 2022-23 season. He also finished third in scoring on the Rangers during the 2022 playoffs, when he potted seven goals in 20 postseason games.

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