Player Discussion Marco Rossi

[MNRube]

Seemed obvious last preseason he had NHL quality game but he lacked confidence. He’s a quick processor and I think that’s usually the hardest part

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

Let’s see them.

I feel like the bust takes were rational or at least reasonable takes at the time. I think it's a tantamount to Rossi that he's been able to make such a turnaround and improve his play as much as he has.

Acting like "you knew all along that he wouldn't be a bust" based off of his play in the previous few seasons seems to deny the improvement that he's made as a player.

Where you/we should be dunking are the fans that are still holding onto the bust takes. Though, I don't see many or any saying that... everyone is saying they are happy he is looking as good as he is.

Seemed obvious last preseason he had NHL quality game but he lacked confidence. He’s a quick processor and I think that’s usually the hardest part

This is just completely false -- unless you mean NHL quality in the way that Sam Steel or Tyson Jost are NHL quality.

A player like Dewar is 2x the player of what Rossi was last season.

 

[P10p]

I think the people that called him a bust are mostly the same people with knee-jerk reactions on most things that happen with the team. Goes to show that patience is a virtue.

 

[57special]

I feel like the bust takes were rational or at least reasonable takes at the time. I think it's a tantamount to Rossi that he's been able to make such a turnaround and improve his play as much as he has.

Acting like "you knew all along that he wouldn't be a bust" based off of his play in the previous few seasons seems to deny the improvement that he's made as a player.

Where you/we should be dunking are the fans that are still holding onto the bust takes. Though, I don't see many or any saying that... everyone is saying they are happy he is looking as good as he is.


This is just completely false -- unless you mean NHL quality in the way that Sam Steel or Tyson Jost are NHL quality.

A player like Dewar is 2x the player of what Rossi was last season.

Good post, except for the bolded, and I LOVE Dewar.... I was one of the guys doubting on Rossi the past couple of years, but in my defense, I probably watched more of him than anyone else on here. He looked small, slow and weak in the AHL, and was getting by on skill, smarts, and TOI usage. Gradually improved to being acceptably strong and fast, for an AHL player, last year. Very MiG like( I am talking 22 yo MiG). The transition to this year is palpable. He's still small, and will never be a "strong" NHL player, but he is holding his own in board battles, and can maintain a spot in front of the net. Also fast enough to maintain a lead on a breakaway. Both of these attributes have helped him to defend his position.

Mentally, he looks more decisive, and tougher. I am sure he'll still be a good Austrian boy off ice, but on ice he's a bit more of a killer.

In my mind, he has already shot ahead of MiG, in my estimation. He just needs to stay healthy, get better at FO's, and he will be a mainstay(glued to Boldy?) on the team for years.

 

[P10p]

Good post, except for the bolded, and I LOVE Dewar.... I was one of the guys doubting on Rossi the past couple of years, but in my defense, I probably watched more of him than anyone else on here. He looked small, slow and weak in the AHL, and was getting by on skill, smarts, and TOI usage. Gradually improved to being acceptably strong and fast, for an AHL player, last year. Very MiG like( I am talking 22 yo MiG). The transition to this year is palpable. He's still small, and will never be a "strong" NHL player, but he is holding his own in board battles, and can maintain a spot in front of the net. Also fast enough to maintain a lead on a breakaway. Both of these attributes have helped him to defend his position.

Mentally, he looks more decisive, and tougher. I am sure he'll still be a good Austrian boy off ice, but on ice he's a bit more of a killer.

In my mind, he has already shot ahead of MiG, in my estimation. He just needs to stay healthy, get better at FO's, and he will be a mainstay(glued to Boldy?) on the team for years.

I watched almost every Iowa Wild game the last couple years and don't agree with your take on Rossi down there.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I think the people that called him a bust are mostly the same people with knee-jerk reactions on most things that happen with the team. Goes to show that patience is a virtue.

Did anyone truly call him a bust? Or did people, like myself, say that his play last year was extremely disappointing and based on that he didn’t deserve a top 6 spot this year.

People have to admit, Rossi’s play in the NHL last year looked like a guy that had hardly played hockey before let alone top 6 quality. He played horribly.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

Good post, except for the bolded, and I LOVE Dewar.... I was one of the guys doubting on Rossi the past couple of years, but in my defense, I probably watched more of him than anyone else on here. He looked small, slow and weak in the AHL, and was getting by on skill, smarts, and TOI usage. Gradually improved to being acceptably strong and fast, for an AHL player, last year. Very MiG like( I am talking 22 yo MiG). The transition to this year is palpable. He's still small, and will never be a "strong" NHL player, but he is holding his own in board battles, and can maintain a spot in front of the net. Also fast enough to maintain a lead on a breakaway. Both of these attributes have helped him to defend his position.

Mentally, he looks more decisive, and tougher. I am sure he'll still be a good Austrian boy off ice, but on ice he's a bit more of a killer.

In my mind, he has already shot ahead of MiG, in my estimation. He just needs to stay healthy, get better at FO's, and he will be a mainstay(glued to Boldy?) on the team for years.

So I agree with the majority of this post, but what do you mean? It's not even an argument that Dewar last season.

Dewar averaged less TOI and was more of a positive than Rossi in 81 games than Rossi in 19. He also had 18 points despite playing with less talented players to Rossi's 1 in 19 games.

There's absolutely zero question that Dewar, the player he was last season and the player he was this season, is better than the player Rossi was last season.

This is a different statement than potential of the player. This is also a different conversation than which player was better at the AHL level.

 

[f7ben]

I think the people that called him a bust are mostly the same people with knee-jerk reactions on most things that happen with the team. Goes to show that patience is a virtue.

I don’t think that’s true. I’m super prone to knee jerk reactions but I’m also prone to massively long leashes with the kids. I have no time for underperforming over paid vets. I have tons of patience for the kids and I root for all of them to succeed

 

[57special]

I like that Rossi has a scar now... looks more like a pirate, rather than the boy next door.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Did anyone truly call him a bust? Or did people, like myself, say that his play last year was extremely disappointing and based on that he didn’t deserve a top 6 spot this year.

People have to admit, Rossi’s play in the NHL last year looked like a guy that had hardly played hockey before let alone top 6 quality. He played horribly.

Also it's frustrating to watch your top 10 pick look lost in the NHL and having trouble adapting when guys taken after him like Lundell are contributing. More so, Rossi was considered to be the next great Wild prospect and most were expecting him to translate well to the NHL almost immediately.

Either COVID knocked him out pretty bad or he had a steeper learning curve than what they had projected. It took him three offseasons to realize what it would take to make it in the NHL.

 

[P10p]

This just in, prospect development isn't linear.

 

[thestonedkoala]

This just in, prospect development isn't linear.

Also some prospects just don't put it together for whatever reason.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Also some prospects just don't put it together for whatever reason.

Most prospects.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Most prospects.

That's fair

 

[BagHead]

This just in, prospect development isn't linear.

Also some prospects just don't put it together for whatever reason.

Yeah, you draft a guy in the top 10, you want to see an NHL player at least. I think it's totally normal for people to start feeling uncomfortable when there are signs he's not panning out. The good news is that what P10p said is also true, so sometimes it works out anyway, like in Rossi's case.

I think both your points are totally fair.

 

[Bazeek]

Yeah, you draft a guy in the top 10, you want to see an NHL player at least. I think it's totally normal for people to start feeling uncomfortable when there are signs he's not panning out. The good news is that what P10p said is also true, so sometimes it works out anyway, like in Rossi's case.

I think both your points are totally fair.

For a prospect that was our highest draft selection in about decade and didn't really light the world on fire offensively post-draft, the discussion around Rossi has always struck me as pretty measured.

 

[Circulartheory]

For fun sake and to feed my juices - with the effort for this team to duplicate the Lightning's Stanley Cup run, maybe we can dream Rossi turns out to be our Brayden Point? First full NHL season he scored 40 points in 68 games and I think Rossi could match that. Rossi is a year older but I'll use his COVID year as a excuse so they are basically same trajectory.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

Posting this here:

So how good does Rossi look again? The one critique I will make is that Rossi does have a lit bit of a habit of skating pucks to low danger areas of the ice as he's holding possession.

This is very different than Rossi without the puck, without the puck Rossi is continually working to (1) get to the front of the net (2) get to the far post (3) sit in the high slot or weakside area or Rossi as a passer.

I haven't decided fully how I feel about this. In general, I'd like to see him take pucks to high danger areas but I do think that he finds people from those lower danger areas and keeps pucks moving. It might be a pull players out and put the puck back towards higher danger areas.

I can see this eventually becoming something we want him to do more of when he has cold stretches points wise.
______________________________________________________________________

I think that this is something to monitor as I saw the 1st line 5 on 5 a little bit collectively do this when they are talented enough to be pressuring high danger areas.

That being said, they and that includes Rossi were absolutely dominating puck retrieval and protection along the way and behind the net and really all over the offensive zone.

It's crazy that Rossi might be our best puck possession and retrieval player on the wall and behind the net in the offensive zone.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

I think the people that called him a bust are mostly the same people with knee-jerk reactions on most things that happen with the team. Goes to show that patience is a virtue.

I think this is the straw man rather than the steel man of the rational and logic behind why people were saying this.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Even strength goals:

Rossi: 6

Zucc+Kap+Boldy+Johansson: 6


Total goals all strengths:
Rossi: 6
Kap+Boldy: 6


Todays game:
-Rossi and Zucc lead the forwards in shots with 3 a piece
-Faber had a team high 4 shots (love this kid)
-Boldy+Kap combined for 3 total shots.

When will the “star” players show up? If they don’t soon, then it’s time to drop Boldy and Kap off the top power play unit and replace with Rossi and Hartman.

 

[MrRuin]

Not enough talk about Rossi. Really like what hes is doing on the forecheck and defensively with his stick. Love the way he keeps passes simple and distributes the puck effectively. Such a smart player on the ice. Kind of keeping it all together, always supporting the puck carrier, fixing holes and pushing the play forward. A few giveaways, a few penalties the last two games but that is to be expected, he is a rookie after all. The only thing that needs immediate attention are his faceoffs. The rest of his play is a joy to watch right now.

 

[Blue Ox]

As a Minnesota sports fan for over 50 years, I was totally prepared for another high, first round pick to be a bust. Glad I can still be surprised now and then.

 

[Nsjohnson]

I barely get to watch hockey these days sadly.

What is the update a quarter into the season? I know he is on pace for close to 30 goals and 50 points.

IQ there? Skill there? Skating truly looking improved?

 

[AKL]

I barely get to watch hockey these days sadly.

What is the update a quarter into the season? I know he is on pace for close to 30 goals and 50 points.

IQ there? Skill there? Skating truly looking improved?

Everything is there, t's night and day. Skating is good, IQ seems to be off the charts, he's almost always in position to do something good whether that's score a goal, make a pass, force a turnover, win a puck battle, etc. He still doesn't have the "take over a game" dynamic at this point like Kaprizov and Fiala had, and like Boldy has shown in the past, but he's just consistently always doing the right thing, and he looks really good almost all of the time.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

I barely get to watch hockey these days sadly.

What is the update a quarter into the season? I know he is on pace for close to 30 goals and 50 points.

IQ there? Skill there? Skating truly looking improved?

Lots and lots to like about his game now, skating advancements looks great, fantastic motor every shift, plays the full rink. The moments of shyness are few and far between but he does hold back some of his creativity I think. Really getting to the net front and establishing position, looks very aware, enough to play with Kaprizov and his insane passes. Still lots growth available to his game, shooting volume and confidence will be the next big advancement to take his game further IMO