NHL Mailbag: Projecting the future for Connor Zary and Marco Rossi
The continued dog days of summer mean another DFO mailbag.
Why not turn some of the spotlight over the summer to our readers after nine months of hogging it to ourselves?
Let’s jump right in.
How do you see the Flyers solving the 1C/1D debate by 2027-28? I’m sure they think Zavragin will be the franchise goalie of the future, so I’ll assume that’s settled for now.
— JC (@JCHockey_) August 5, 2025Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere has gone full bore in his rebuild over the last 28 months or so, but the top line center and starting goaltender options do still certainly loom hard. Briere has drafted several centers over the last two NHL Drafts, most notably Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt. Neither project is to be a top-line guy long-term, but both present opportunities for middle-six pivots down the road.
The acquisition of Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks is arguably Briere’s biggest chance to walk away from this rebuild with a top center; Zegras will, by all accounts, get every opportunity to run away with that title. The Flyers certainly have yet to find their crown jewel down the middle, but they have at least given themselves a lot of options that can potentially do it by committee.
As for the starting goaltender, the Flyers have yet to find a solution since Carter Hart was removed from the equation. Sam Ersson still has at least some level of belief from the organization, but the team’s signing of Dan Vladar signals that there are at least some concerns. If I’m a betting man, the Flyers won’t make a major move to address their goaltender until they have a better read of what they have between the pipes with Ersson, Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin.
What are your thoughts on Mason McTavish? Do you really think Anaheim would move him or is this all a subtle negotiation tactic through the media?
— Ivan Demigod (@kavanyoung) August 4, 2025I really can’t see a world in which Ducks GM Pat Verbeek moves off of Mason McTavish. Verbeek, who learned under Steve Yzerman, is a notorious tough negotiator, so this may just be common practice for him. But given McTavish’s (projected) long-term role with the Ducks, it may be a situation where Verbeek is flying too close to the sun.
I don’t think the Ducks will move McTavish, especially considering the fact that they moved on from Zegras in large part to the former’s long-term role with the club. My best guess is that a bridge deal ultimately gets done, but Verbeek would be best served to make sure things don’t go sideways to the point where the player’s long term future with the club could come into question.
Why do the bruins have so few Canadians on their team and in their pipeline? They'll have 3 Canadians on their roster (if poitras makes the team). Their roster is heavily American and they have drafted mostly Americans recently. Are there other teams that strategize like them?
— Dan (@Dans_fine) August 4, 2025I honestly can’t say for certain why this is or if it’s by design; my colleague Steven Ellis may have the inside track on such a notion. But all I can say is that Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney found a way to stockpile the cupboard at the deadline last season, adding players like Fraser Minten and William Zellers to the fold via trade. Drafting James Hagens seventh overall will certainly help things for Boston, as the club continues to look for a solution down the middle since the days of Patrice Bergeron.
Perhaps the NCAA’s rise over the last few seasons could be a factor, but overall, I believe the Bruins are simply adding talent in any way they can.
Rossi and/or Zary contract predictions? Do you think either are dealt before training camp at this point?
— The NHL Bro (@NHLsuperfan85) August 5, 2025As I’ve reported over the last month or so, the Calgary Flames are looking for a three-year deal with Connor Zary in the $3 million to $3.5 million AAV range. I get the sense that the player’s camp is looking for an AAV in the mid $4 million; this obviously is dependent on the overall term. When all is said and done, my gut tells me that Tyson Foerster’s two-year deal with a $3.75 million AAV will be similar to what Zary ends up with.
As for Marco Rossi, it is no secret that Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin has been open to trading the 2020 first-round pick. Rossi’s camp had been rumored to be looking for a long-term deal in the $49 million range at seven years; it doesn’t seem like the Wild feels comfortable with that at this juncture. A bridge deal similar to Cole Perfetti’s with the Winnipeg Jets could be a decent comparable for what we can see with Rossi when the dust settles.
Ultimately, I don’t see either player being moved before the start of the season.
I believe the Flames are a .500 team, so the simple answer here is over 80 points. Dustin Wolf proved to be a rock between the pipes for the Flames, and there is a crop of young talent that makes this team right on the bubble of the playoff picture. This doesn’t necessarily mean this will be a positive season for GM Craig Conroy, but I expect them to be right around the .500 mark.
The looming fate of defenseman Rasmus Andersson will certainly play a factor, as his (potential) departure at some point this season will surely impact the Flames’ ability to compile points. The only question now is at what point Andersson will be pulled off the roster—and what the Flames will receive in return.
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