After several offseasons facing the same problem, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin faced a new one this summer. With the cap restrictions due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts finally removed, the Wild had plenty of cap space to make a splash on the free agency market. The new problem - no one to spend it on. With all due respect to Nikolaj Ehlers and Mikael Granlund, the 2025 Free Agency class was a bit less than franchise-altering.
So, some credit is to be extended to Guerin for his fiscal restraint, something that NHL GMs aren’t often lauded for (cough, Tanner Jeannot, cough, $17 million, cough). He could have thrown enough money at Brock Boeser to lure him away from Vancouver, or at Ehlers to convince him that the Wild could allow him the same offensive opportunity that Carolina will, but he didn’t.
Instead he traded for Vlad Tarasenko and signed Nico Sturm on an affordable 2-year deal. Not exactly franchise-altering deals, but he also not franchise-killing deals either if they don’t work out. Both are relatively low-cost, medium-return type of deals that should help the Wild next season.
Guerin won’t be fired if those deals don’t work out. That doesn’t mean the seat he occupies is without a little warmth though. The Wild need to be better this season. Hanging around the wild card spot and playing well, but eventually losing in the first round of the playoffs isn’t going to cut it this year. In order for that to happen, a few things have to break his way.
The Young Defense
The Wild have built their defense through the draft and with a couple of key trades, and they are hoping this is the year it pays off. Brock Faber is set to keep playing a ton of minutes as a 22-year-old. The hope is that Zeev Buium and David Jiricek are there to help keep the puck out of the net. The two biggest trades Guerin has pulled off since taking over the reins involved Faber and Jiricek. His highest overall draft pick was Buium at 12 in 2024.
If they falter, especially at the beginning of the season with Jonas Brodin on injured reserve, the hole they dig could be too deep to get out of. Plus, there isn’t much in the system to cover for the youngsters if they need more time in the AHL.
Should the defense not come together like the Wild expect Guerin to start burning up the phone lines to bring in a veteran defenseman via a trade early in the season.
Goaltending
It’s pretty simple. Filip Gustavsson has to play like he did last season. And he has to stay healthy. That’s it. If the Swedish netminder can find that groove he had last year, and Jesper Wallstedt handles the back-up role, things will be okay. However, Guerin has to figure out what the future in net will be.
Gustavsson needs a new deal after this year. Has the 27-year-old done enough to earn a long-term deal to stay in Minnesota? Or, do the Wild hand things over to the younger Wallstedt, who has all of the potential in the world, but hasn’t quite put it together yet?
Getting the goaltending situation correct can solve a lot of problems. Absolutely nothing can cover up a team’s flaws like a top-10 goaltender. Young defensive mistakes, lack of scoring, bad special teams? All of that can be masked by the man in the mask making big saves.
Marco and Kirill
The first two points are ancillary, but the real Sword of Damocles swinging above Guerin's head concerns two of his forwards. If, at this time next season, Marco Rossi and Kirill Kaprizov are not on the Minnesota roster, Guerin should probably update his LinkedIn profile. Yes, patience is a virtue, and the Wild aren’t at the point where alarms are sounding in regards to either player.
That being said, the sooner either gets done, the better off for everyone. Guerin has assured everyone that he wants Rossi to be a part of the roster moving forward, but that is going to come at a cost. After years of counting every dollar, it’s time to open up the wallet and start handing out the money. Find a way to get the job done and the contracts signed.
This season will render a judgement upon Bill Guerin’s plan for the Wild. Their efforts to build through the draft are coming to fruition with the top prospects in the system competing for spots on the roster. He has one of the top offensive players in the league on his roster (for now). He has room to add to the roster if necessary. The expectations have to be higher than making the playoffs. If the Wild go out quietly in the first round yet again, then maybe it’s time for someone else to take the reins.