Most of the focus for Minnesota Wild followers will be on the club’s efforts to re-sign left winger Kirill Kaprizov.
The 28-year-old superstar is eligible for UFA status next summer, and the earliest the Wild can sign him to a contract extension is July 1.
While Wild management works on retaining their franchise player, they must also decide the fate of Marco Rossi.
The 23-year-old center is completing his entry-level contract and finished this season sitting second among Wild scorers with 60 points in 82 games. That’s a 20-point improvement over his performance last season over the same number of games.
However, the Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith pointed out Rossi was buried on the Wild’s fourth line following a difficult period down the stretch and into the opening game of their first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Rossi was the subject of trade rumors earlier this season until GM Bill Guerin dismissed that speculation in December. He lacks arbitration rights, prompting Russo and Smith to suggest he could receive an offer sheet from a rival club this summer.
Meanwhile, in Montreal, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes came to the defense of Patrik Laine during the club’s end-of-season press conference on Monday.
Laine, 27, drew criticism from some local pundits for his defensive play and declining production down the stretch, prompting speculation the Canadiens could trade the left winger or buy out the final season of his contract.
Hughes was having none of it. Speaking in French, he told reporters the Canadiens wouldn’t have reached the playoffs this season without Laine.
In Ottawa, a Postmedia report claimed Drake Batherson’s name surfaced in the rumor mill before the March trade deadline. The Senators opted instead to trade Josh Norris, shipping him to the Buffalo Sabres for Dylan Cozens.
The report said several teams wonder if Senators GM Steve Staios would be open to offers for Batherson this summer. His affordability is one reason, as the 27-year-old right winger has two years left on his contract with an average annual value of $4.975 million.
It would take a significant offer to pry Batherson away from the low-scoring Senators. He’s exceeded the 60-point plateau in three straight seasons, including a career-high 68 points in 2024-25.
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