In a disappointing turn of events, the Minnesota Wild faced a setback as they suffered a 4-2 defeat to the Vancouver Canucks, marred by a rare off performance from netminder Jesper Wallstedt. Following the game, head coach John Hynes provided updates regarding the health of rookie forward Marco Rossi, which unfortunately did not offer fans the relief they had hoped for.
Rossi’s timeline for recovery has been classified as “week-to-week,” according to Joe Smith of The Athletic. This vague injury description can range from a few days to several months, leaving a cloud of uncertainty around Rossi’s return. The promising 24-year-old center has been skating alone but has not participated in any games since sustaining his injury during the Wild’s 2-1 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on November 11.
Before his injury, Rossi was having an impressive season, contributing 4 goals and 9 assists—five of which were on the power play—over 17 games. His ability to alternately play on the top line alongside stars Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy or slot into the second line with Joel Eriksson Ek provided critical flexibility to Hynes’s lineup. With Rossi’s new bridge contract in place, he was on track to exceed last season’s breakout total of 60 points. Missing games now represents an unfortunate hurdle for a player who has not missed any action in the past two years.
The injury has put a strain on the Wild’s roster depth, prompting Hynes to experiment with various lineup combinations to mitigate Rossi’s absence. Eriksson Ek had a chance to fill that top line role, but recently rookie Danila Yurov, when healthy, has centered Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the first line. Despite contributing 3 goals and 4 assists in 22 games, Yurov has yet to match the scoring prowess that Rossi has previously demonstrated.
Compounding the team’s struggles is the simultaneous absence of key players like Marcus Foligno and Vinnie Hinostroza, leading to increased ice time for Liam Ohgren, Ben Jones, and Tyler Pitlick—players Hynes would have preferred to rely on less as veterans Nico Sturm and Ryan Hartman return from injured reserve.
After a strong showing in November that saw them climb back into playoff contention, the Wild have stumbled with recent losses to the Canucks, Sabres, and Flames. While Rossi’s absence cannot be blamed entirely for these recent setbacks, it has undoubtedly contributed to the team’s challenges.
As the situation unfolds, Wild general manager Bill Guerin may soon find himself assessing potential trades as the American Thanksgiving has passed, and other teams are starting to make decisions about their rosters. With trade rumors heating up around teams such as Vancouver, Nashville, and Los Angeles, the Wild may look to bolster their lineup to navigate this challenging phase without one of their rising stars. Fans can remain hopeful that Rossi will return sooner rather than later, helping to reignite the Wild’s pursuit of playoff glory.