Guerin Named New Wild GM

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

Pretty much what it says. They'll be talking to him to fill their vacant GM spot.

Hopefully they'll bite.

Linky

The Minnesota Wild have been granted permission to interview the Pittsburgh Penguins' Bill Guerin about their general manager position, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

Guerin was hired as the Penguins' player development coach in 2011 but was promoted to assistant GM to Jim Rutherford in 2014. The club has won two Stanley Cups during the former winger's time in its front office.

The Wild have also been granted permission to speak with Montreal Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby, according to Russo.

Peter Chiarelli and Ron Hextall have reportedly already had preliminary interviews with Minnesota, but the Wild are casting a wide net for potential candidates to fill their GM vacancy. According to Russo's report, the team may show or already has shown interest in Tom Fitzgerald, Chris Drury, Mark Hunter, Bill Zito, Basil McRae, Mike Futa, and Sean Burke for the job.

Minnesota fired former GM Paul Fenton on Tuesday after just one season at the helm.

The Wild finished last in the Central Division in 2018-19 with a 37-36-9 record. It marked the first time the club has missed the playoffs in six seasons.

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[ColePens]

I know people think he's directly related to all the beef the Pens tried to get. None of which we have actual evidence of. Maybe he wants nothing but youth/speed. Who knows? But kudos to him. That'd be an honor to get that role.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

I know people think he's directly related to all the beef the Pens tried to get. None of which we have actual evidence of. Maybe he wants nothing but youth/speed. Who knows? But kudos to him. That'd be an honor to get that role.

Yup - hard to say how much Guerin has helped/hindered this team

But it seemed JR was hitting all the right notes for a short period of time beginning with the Horny/Neal trade and it ended with the Reaves acquisition
So if there are any constants in that timeframe that seems like it'd give us a clue who was behind that philosophy and why they deviated

 

[cookthebooks]

can we all agree that guerin may or may not have been the reason for the change in strategy but if he gets the wild job he is obligated to take mark recchi with him?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I know people think he's directly related to all the beef the Pens tried to get. None of which we have actual evidence of. Maybe he wants nothing but youth/speed. Who knows? But kudos to him. That'd be an honor to get that role.

Alls I know is he likes the look of Bjorkqvist in a t-shirt.

(artist's conception)

 

[Turin]

Never seen a guy get so much crap for such a lack of specific reasons but whatever.

 

[wej20]

Would we bring in someone to replace him? Karmanos is also Assistant GM (unless he's Assistant to the Assistant GM) and obviously we've just brought Cullen into the fold.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Would we bring in someone to replace him? Karmanos is also Assistant GM (unless he's Assistant to the Assistant GM) and obviously we've just brought Cullen into the fold.

Yeah, probably Pierre McGuire.

 

[wej20]

Yeah, probably Pierre McGuire.

And deprive us of more Pierre and Susan Sarandon between the glass? Say it aint so!

 

[Peat]

Would we bring in someone to replace him? Karmanos is also Assistant GM (unless he's Assistant to the Assistant GM) and obviously we've just brought Cullen into the fold.

Cullen is player development, not front office. I'd assume they'd hire a new assistant GM if it should happen.

I'll laugh if it turns out to be Recchi getting promoted.

 

[wej20]

Cullen is player development, not front office. I'd assume they'd hire a new assistant GM if it should happen.

I'll laugh if it turns out to be Recchi getting promoted.

How many teams have two Assistant GMs though?

 

[Jacob]

I know people think he's directly related to all the beef the Pens tried to get. None of which we have actual evidence of. Maybe he wants nothing but youth/speed. Who knows? But kudos to him. That'd be an honor to get that role.

I mean that’s what he did in the AHL, which is solely his responsibility. McKegg for Jooris, Smith for Cramarossa, signed Tinordi, Hayes, etc. Which nobody would have complained about if it worked but the baby Pens were swept in the 1st last year and missed altogether this year.

Seems like he learned from his mistakes though, bringing in Agozzino & Warsofsky.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

To be honest, I'm not hoping he leaves. Sure there was some smoke behind some stuff we didn't like but if true, maybe he's learning. We have no idea how valuable he is or isn't. Just like when we harped on wanting Tocchet gone. Look how that turned out.

I'm pretty sure Recchi was on the fast track to be an AGM. I think there's a good chance he would be the replacement unless he wants to pursue coaching.

 

[Peat]

How many teams have two Assistant GMs though?

Picking 5 orgs as roughly random -

Washington list 2 on their site
Buffalo list 2 on their site
Toronto list 2 on their site
NJ list 1 on their site
Boston list 1 on their site

At a guess, 2 isn't unusual and where you see only 1, titles like "Senior Director, Player Personnel" and "EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE PROVIDENCE BRUINS" suggest there's guys who are AGMs in all but name and that we'd have to promote someone to a position like that even if we didn't have an actual second AGM.

 

[Shockmaster]

Yeah, probably Pierre McGuire.

Pierre McGuire has too much of an ego to be an assistant GM.

 

[Peat]

I mean that’s what he did in the AHL, which is solely his responsibility. McKegg for Jooris, Smith for Cramarossa, signed Tinordi, Hayes, etc. Which nobody would have complained about if it worked but the baby Pens were swept in the 1st last year and missed altogether this year.

Seems like he learned from his mistakes though, bringing in Agozzino & Warsofsky.

Is it actually solely his responsibility? I'd assumed so, but on thinking about it, it seems weird to me that Guerin would be handing out NHL contracts and signing guys who'll play in the big show with nothing more than a rubber stamp from Rutherford - it seems likelier there's a fair degree of oversight there.

And certainly Jooris for McKegg was a Rutherford trade.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Never seen a guy get so much crap for such a lack of specific reasons but whatever.

This is what is said about every assistant coach front office job ever in this league.

Happy Trails, Billy G!

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

And deprive us of more Pierre and Susan Sarandon between the glass? Say it aint oh!

Fixed.

 

[Andy99]

I’d rather pay the Wild to hire Guerin and then get Guerin as a favor to the Pens to trade for JJ for a 7th and to hire Recchi to a job that’s a “promotion”... is that ethical/legal? Please let it be....so let it be written, so let it be done!

 

[Jacob]

Is it actually solely his responsibility? I'd assumed so, but on thinking about it, it seems weird to me that Guerin would be handing out NHL contracts and signing guys who'll play in the big show with nothing more than a rubber stamp from Rutherford - it seems likelier there's a fair degree of oversight there.

And certainly Jooris for McKegg was a Rutherford trade.

If Rutherford is even handling minor league trades and boilerplate 2-way deals for AHL journeymen then Guerin would have virtually no duties at all.

 

[PensPlz]

 

[Peat]

I’d rather pay the Wild to hire Guerin and then get Guerin as a favor to the Pens to trade for JJ for a 7th and to hire Recchi to a job that’s a “promotion”... is that ethical/legal? Please let it be....so let it be written, so let it be done!

I'm not sure he'd do us that big a solid, but having another guy who likes the Pens roster and who knows Rutherford well in the league would be a definite boon - arguably bigger than anything Guerin can do on the Pens.

If Rutherford is even handling minor league trades and boilerplate 2-way deals for AHL journeymen then Guerin would have virtually no duties at all.

There's a lot of possibilities between Rutherford handling things entirely and it being Guerin's sole responsibility - and I don't think we know where it falls. If there's some definite info out there, hit me with it. But if we're talking guesses based on what makes sense to me, then I'd imagine that Guerin doesn't get to go freelance on what type of player to get for WBS but has to follow organisational philosophy.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Come on, Wild. You know you want him.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I never really hear Guerin talk about what he prioritizes most, something to build a identity around. That and he doesn't seem to have a niche skill like our former heir apparent cap wiz Botts. He one of the boys, I guess?

 

[Gurglesons]

I never really hear Guerin talk about what he prioritizes most, something to build a identity around. That and he doesn't seem to have a niche skill like our former heir apparent cap wiz Botts. He one of the boys, I guess?

Meh. He has done his time and was one of the biggest fans of Sprong if I remember right.