When we wrote about Marco Rossi's game evolving during the season on Friday, we weren't expecting him to add a new wrinkle one day later. But that's the kind of thing that happens when you watch a player take "The Leap,

Along with linemates Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy, Rossi is leading the offense in Kirill Kaprizov’s absence.

Marco Rossi has carried the Minnesota Wild in the absence of Kirill Kaprizov and Jake Middleton, but how has he done it?

Rossi, 23, was picked in the first round, ninth overall, by the Wild in the 2020 NHL Draft, after playing two seasons of major junior hockey in Canada. While loving the points that he is producing, the Minnesota coaching staff is seeing an all-around game as Rossi spends just his second full season in the NHL.

Rossi ranked second in goals, tied for third in shots, tied for fourth in game-winning goals and fifth in points among all NHL rookies last season. Rossi and Faber joined Kaprizov as the only rookies in Wild history to have 40 points in a single season and Rossi became the second rookie in franchise history to record 20 goals (after Kaprizov).

Wild center Marco Rossi has been named the NHL's First Star of the Week after scoring three goals and five assists in three Minnesota wins last week. Rossi bagged two goals and an assist in the team's 5-3 win over Nashville on New Year's Eve. His assist in the second period was the Wild's go-ahead goal in the game.