The Minnesota Wild hired Bill Guerin as general manager in 2019, and it wouldn’t be long before he would eventually put his mark on the organization, buying out the bloated contracts of both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in 2021.
Meanwhile, Guerin also rolled the dice in a major way this past December with the acquisition of former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes, paying a premium to bring him into the fold without the guarantee of an extension.
But while the Wild try to sort out an extension for Hughes that would keep him in Minnesota beyond the upcoming campaign, they’ve announced an extension for Guerin.
The Minnesota Wild Re-Sign GM Bill Guerin To A Multi-Year Extension
Guerin, who was also the general manager of the Gold Medal-winning Team USA roster that made history earlier this year in the Milan Olympics, has been re-signed by the Wild to a multi-year contract extension.
The news was confirmed by ESPN NHL Insider Emily Kaplan:
“Bill Guerin has signed a multi-year contract extension as GM of the Minnesota Wild, sources told ESPN,” Kaplan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Under Guerin, the Wild have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times and also won their first postseason series since 2015 earlier this spring.
Aside from buying out the remaining years and term of the contracts of Suter and Parise along with the acquisition of Hughes, Guerin also acquired Brock Faber from the Los Angeles Kings in return for Kevin Fiala as part of a summer 2022 trade.
He also locked up franchise forward Kirill Kaprizov to a multi-year contract extension with a salary cap hit that was, for a brief time, the highest in NHL history for any one player.
The Wild Still Need To Re-Sign Quinn Hughes
Hughes is well aware of the outside noise surrounding his current contract situation, but it’s something that he’s not worried about.
“Me and [general manager Bill Guerin] will talk and continue to talk,” Hughes said last week during Training Camp. “Like I said before, I don’t feel stressed to do something before the season — and that’s not saying that something won’t. That’s just how it is.”
“I don’t think there’s any issues, first of all. It’s September 16. Kirill didn’t sign — I don’t even know when — but later than this. So I wouldn’t say there’s any issues here. I just think that we’re going through the process, specifically myself, and just taking the time. And like I said at the media tour, I don’t feel pressure to do anything. I’m really happy here. I love the guys. I love the team. I fit in really well, I think,” Hughes said.
The Wild will begin the regular season on Oct. 1 on the road against the Nashville Predators.
Wild Announce Multi-Year Contract Extension