28 November 2023
With fewer than 20 games on the books this season, Bill Guerin has completed two trades and swapped head coaches, introducing John Hynes on Tuesday as the replacement for fired Dean Evason.
“I’ve always said if I can make the team better, I will,” the Wild general manager said. “I’d really like to give this group an opportunity to do that.”
In mid-November, Guerin traded defenseman Calen Addision to San Jose for a low-end prospect and a draft pick, and replaced him with veteran Zack Bogosian, whom he acquired in a draft-pick deal with Tampa Bay.
Both moves were made early to keep the Wild’s 2023-24 season from slipping away. Minnesota entered Tuesday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues at Xcel Energy Center with a 5-10-4 record and seven-game losing streak.
That’s why Evason was fired on Monday, hours after a 4-1 loss at Detroit.
One thing Guerin can’t trade away or swap out is the Wild’s tiny salary-cap margin, which, according to capfriendly.com, was only $39,855 after the team recalled forward Vinni Lettieri on Tuesday.
That’s only 5.2 percent of the NHL’s minimum salary of $755,000.
The big reason, everyone knows by now, is the Wild are taking a $14.7 million dead cap hit related to the years-ago buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. It will be the same next year, although the team should have some space to make a free-agent deal or two this summer.
For now, though, not only does Guerin have zero chance to sign a new player, he is only able to call up a player from Iowa who is making the league minimum. Hamstringing him further is a roster that includes eight no-trade or no-movement clauses.
Largely the same team finished last regular season with 46 wins and 103 points.
“But I’ve also said the expectation for this team is to win, and it will remain that way, empty cap hits or not,” Guerin said. “That is our goal, to win.”
Among players with limited-movement clauses are struggling forwards Marcus Johansson (one goal in 19 games) and Freddy Gaudreau (no points in nine games), plus another pair of veterans who could help a team at the trade deadline such as defenseman Alex Goligoski and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Guerin, however, doesn’t plan to sell at the deadline. And neither does Hynes.
“I’m excited to coach this group.” Hynes said. “I think when you look at the dynamic of the team, there’s skill, there’s size, there’s speed, there’s good goaltending. I think it’s a group that you can win with.”
Four players on the roster will be unrestricted free agents after the season — Fleury, Goligoski, and forwards Pat Maroon and Brandon Duhaime. The rest of the team is largely wrapped up for some time after forwards Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson and Ryan Hartman signed contract extensions this fall.
That means the Wild are tied to the current core, which also includes promising young players such as defenseman Brock Faber and center Marco Rossi.
“I’ve never said we’re rebuilding,” Guerin said. “If we did that, and got rid of the players, things like that, then you have to replenish your team — and you’re taking a chance you’re getting guys you don’t like as much.
“I like these guys. I feel they’ve been big contributors and will continue to be. We’re going to continue to filter in younger players as we go along and you need veteran guys around. If you have a team full of young guys, that is a rebuild.”
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