The Minnesota Wild announced on Tuesday that Bill Guerin will be the team’s next general manager. He takes over for the recently fired Paul Fenton. The Worcester, Mass. native was an assistant general manger with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I am thrilled to announce we have hired Bill Guerin, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, as General Manager of the Minnesota Wild." — Craig Leipold
📰 News → https://t.co/uM3vPSoWqs #mnwild pic.twitter.com/kU0yhA6khQ
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) August 21, 2019
Bill Guerin is New Wild General Manager
Guerin had a long career in the NHL with New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 429 goals and 427 assists for 856 points in 1,263 games. The four-time All-Star is also a four-time Stanley Cup champion as he won two titles as a player and two as an executive.
He was a player development coach for the Penguins after retiring in 2010. Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford promoted Guerin to assistant general manager in 2014. Guerin also became the general manager of the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2017. He replaced Jason Botterill in that capacity when he took the general manager job with the Buffalo Sabres.
Minnesota also interviewed Ron Hextall, Tom Fitzgerald and other candidates for the position. Tom Kurvers was serving as interim general manager after Fenton’s firing. The team fired Fenton on July 30.
“I am thrilled to announce we have hired Bill Guerin, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, as General Manager of the Minnesota Wild,” team owner Craig Leipold said in a press release. “Bill has been a winner throughout his hockey career. I am extremely pleased to be able to add his experience to our organization and The State of Hockey.”
What it Means for the Future
Guerin has to find a way to get the team back in contention in a tough Central Division. There is some young talent, but he needs to help restock the prospect pool. He does have a wealth of knowledge after learning from winning organizations like the Devils and the Penguins.
Minnesota finished last in the Central Division and was seven points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 27: Bill Guerin, Player Development Coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins, speaks on the floor prior to the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
