Why the Maple Leafs May Have Missed Their Chance at Young Star Marco Rossi

Putting an end to the long back and forth between the two, the Minnesota Wild ended up locking down Marco Rossi for the next three years after months of negotiations about his future with the team.

There was a potential for him to be traded, and several teams were linked to the young forward including the Toronto Maple Leafs. He would have drastically improved their top-six if they had gotten their hands on him, and the perfect replacement for Mitch Marner.

But they may not have been able to afford him in general according to a new report.

Frank Seravalli was speaking on Bleacher Report giving an update on the NHL offseason happenings and mentioned that Rossi had his suitors, but the package GM Bill Guerin wanted didn't just involve their future in mind:

The Maple Leafs only have one second-round pick, as well as a 2028 first, and the names they could have dealt to Minnesota wouldn't have been the top-six options they want if they were to replace Rossi (Nick Robertson doesn't cut it).

If the Wild were looking for something for now, and their future then it meant their price was never going to go below that, and few teams can offer an NHL-ready player with the type of impact Rossi brings.

The topic of discussion this offseason is if the Maple Leafs are bringing in a top-six piece and exactly who it could be. Linked to about a dozen names with Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell as the likeliest options.

But it means they at least have an idea of a price range when it comes to players like Rossi, and they may decide to sell high on a breakout player in the hopes of landing that big fish.

Take Robertson for example. If he is able to get things going and have 12-14 goals and 30 points by Christmas, it will give his stock a huge boost, and potentially show teams he can make a difference; and for clubs getting rid of veteran deals it might interest them.

Rossi's loss hurts because he was a center and while Toronto has a good amount, they certainly don't have their next 2C in the organization, and it now seems unlikely that names like Mason McTavish are able to be brought in due to his price.

It's great for Brad Treliving to have an idea of what his cost is going to be when it comes to adding a top-six piece, but knowing he doesn't have the best pieces to get a deal done now is still something he's gotta work through somehow.