Top Penguins Trade Target Unexpectedly Signs Big-Money Extension

Throughout this off-season, there was plenty of chatter over the future of Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi, and with the team demoting him in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, many believed that a trade was in his future.

It was never going to be cheap, but the Penguins were one of those teams reportedly interested in paying up to land Rossi, with Kyle Dubas seeking young, NHL ready players to continue their rebuild after adding some very talented young pieces over the past few years.

Now however, Rossi has shocked everyone, officially re-signing in Minnesota on a three-year deal that carries an average annual value of $5 million, a great payday for the 23-year old.

This comes on the back of a career year from Rossi, as he posted a very impressive 24 goals in 60 points over 82 games in just his second full season at the National Hockey League level.

There were still question marks over his potential at the top level given his size (5-foot-9), but already he's shown the skill and the desire to be a very good regular season player for the Wild over the coming years.

While there were struggled in limited playoff minutes, Rossi has shown immense potential, making him the perfect target for Kyle Dubas, but ultimately he's now set to stay in Minnesota for years, with the Penguins GM likely to pivot moving forward to another young piece of the future.