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A fully healthy Marco Rossi excited to show Canucks what he can add to the mix
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Feb 18, 2026, 13:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 18, 2026, 11:39 EST
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Like anyone in any job, Marco Rossi wanted to impress his new bosses. So the 24-year-old Austrian did all he could to step into the Vancouver Canucks lineup right away after being acquired in December’s blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Wild. The problem was that Rossi wasn’t fully healthy at the time the deal went down.
He suffered a lower-body injury blocking a shot in an early November Minnesota Wild game and tried to play through the pain at the time. Eventually, he left the Wild lineup on November 11th, not knowing at the time it would be the last game he’d ever play for the franchise. As he neared a return to the Wild lineup, he was dealt to Vancouver along with Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren and a 2026 first-round draft pick for Quinn Hughes.
Looking back now, it was a lot to process for Rossi. 
“It’s not easy for sure,” he told the media after practice at UBC on Tuesday. “ After my first shot block, it didn’t feel good but I kept playing and then I had to be out for a while. And then obviously, I got traded and there was so much happening. When I came here, I wanted to play right away. Looking back, maybe it wasn’t the best decision, but I feel good now and I can’t wait to be back.”
Tuesday’s practice was the first time Rossi had been on the ice with his teammates since leaving a December 30th game against the Philadelphia Flyers with an undisclosed injury, but one he revealed was related to the earlier injury that kept him out of action for more than a month. 
So it’s been a difficult season to say the least: two lengthy injury setbacks, a trade and just 25 games split between two organizations. 
In the eight games Rossi has played for the Canucks, he has just one goal, one assist and nine shots. Underwhelming numbers to be sure for a player that scored 24 times and registered 60 points last season. But dealing with injuries has thrown a curveball at the usually durable Rossi, who logged all 82 games in each of his first two full NHL seasons in Minnesota. 
To his credit, Rossi wasn’t using the injuries as any kind of excuse but rather as an explanation for his underwhelming first impression with his new hockey club.
“For sure, the couple of games I had, it wasn’t my game or even my best,” he said of struggling to adjust to his new surroundings. “But it is what it is. And it’s all about learning, too. So I’m happy to be back. Not just to show the fans, but also to myself. I wanted to be back to a hundred percent and that’s how I feel right now.”
Much of the Canucks struggles this season can be tracked directly to a lack of centre depth. From early-season injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger, to an odd experiment with winger Lukas Reichel in the middle and to playing David Kämpf higher in the lineup than he ought to be, the Canucks can desperately use Rossi’s skill and playmaking. There’s a direct correlation between the lack of centre depth and the struggles of so many of the team’s scoring wingers this season. 
With 25 games remaining on the schedule and finally a clean bill of health, Marco Rossi is looking forward to proving why he was a player the Canucks had been interested in dating back to last summer. 
At his best, he’s an intelligent player with solid playmaking ability, but one that can find the back of the net, too. He scored 21 goals two seasons ago and backed that up with his career-best 24 last season.
Even with the early-season injury, Rossi had four goals and nine assists in 17 games before the trade. That’s a 62-point pace at the time he left the Wild lineup. Without a doubt, he fills a massive hole in the Canucks lineup.
And he’s hoping to use the remaining 25 games on the team’s schedule to regain his top form with an eye to being a key contributor next season and beyond. Between getting to full health and having a full week of practice before playing on February 25th against the Winnipeg Jets, Rossi is excited to have the chance to put his best foot forward. He’s had plenty of time to think about all that has gone on – and gone wrong – this season. Now he just wants to play hockey. 
“The situation the team is in, it’s different. Everything is different. I think the key is to try not to think too much about it and enjoy everything, every day,” he explained. “The guys here have been really nice and all the coaching staff and everyone around has been really nice, so I’m happy to be here. Even as a team, we can’t think about the standings and stuff. We have to stay positive and try to play our game and learn as much as we can as a group.”
With Elias Pettersson, Teddy Blueger and David Kämpf all away at the Olympics, and with Filip Chytil’s migraine issues limiting him to a non-contact jersey, the Canucks are without most of their regular NHL centres at the moment. So it’s hard to get a true sense of what the Canucks lineup will look like and where Marco Rossi will slot in when the team hosts the Jets next week. He’s expected to return to the second line centre role, but who he skates with remains a mystery for now.
But Head Coach Adam Foote will certainly welcome a fully healthy Rossi back to action, giving him options at centre ice that he just hasn’t had for most of the season.
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