The Minnesota Wild haven't had a wealth of success as a franchise, but that's changing thanks in no small part to GM Bill Guerin's bold moves. Guerin is the reigning GM of the year, he just got a contract extension, and he could be making even bigger moves to make the Wild a true Stanley Cup threat.
Throughout much of their 26-year history as an NHL team, the Minnesota Wild were more like the Minnesota Mild.
They won their division just once, in 2007-08, and they made it out of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs just once, in 2002-03. Otherwise, Minnesota's story has been one of utter mediocrity.
However, since former star NHLer Bill Guerin took over the Wild's GM job in 2019, he's been steadily steering the Wild toward consistent relevancy — and Guerin has been taking big swings in a way that none of his predecessors did.
So when the Wild announced Tuesday that Guerin had agreed to a multi-year contract extension, fans had every right to be stoked about where this franchise is headed.
It isn't just that Guerin has assembled a strong roster that makes him well worth the extension. It's the way he’s built a brand in Minnesota — one that players want to be a part of — that separates him from many of his peers.
When you're talking about the Wild now, you're talking about a deep, dynamic group that still has room to elevate their performance and graduate to the top tier of franchises.
And the best part of all of this — better than having Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber and two excellent netminders in Jesper Wallstedt and veteran Filip Gustavsson — is that Guerin isn't done making this Wild team a true juggernaut.
To wit: while Minnesota isn't a perfect team, they are on track to challenge the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars for top spot in the ultra-competitive Central Division. And that's before Guerin uses his trade capital to add what could prove to be the final pieces of the puzzle.
Certainly, the Wild's goalie tandem is an area to keep a close eye on. With Gustavsson starting the season sidelined by injury, Wallstedt has a glorious opportunity to solidify his status as Minnesota's No. 1 option in net.
And while Gustavsson has a full no-move clause in his contract, Guerin needs to sell him on the benefits of moving on and having a starter's job somewhere else. And if Guerin does take Gustavsson's $6.8 million contract off Minnesota's books, that would free up more than enough money to take a run at a veteran center for the second line.
That type of move may not happen until closer to this season's trade deadline, but everything is tracking toward Guerin making more big moves – including either a lucrative contract extension for superstar D-man Quinn Hughes, or if he can’t get Hughes signed long-term, another blockbuster trade.
There's a reason Guerin was named the NHL's GM of the year last season. He has transformed this Wild roster to be one of the deepest, most dangerous squads in the league, and he’s positioned his team to rise to heights not yet seen from Minnesota.
In short, Guerin has done exactly what he was tasked to do when Wild owner Craig Leipold hired him. Minnesota has excellent depth, amazing balance, and the potential to rise to the very top of the NHL's power pyramid. The Wild were right to hire Guerin, right to give him this new extension, and right to entrust their future to him.
The Wild are mild no more, and Guerin deserves full credit for that transformation. Minnesota fans have been one of the most patient and loyal groups in the hockey world.
And thanks to Guerin, their greatest rewards are right before them, waiting to be claimed.
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