Minnesota Wild name Bill Guerin fourth GM in team history

Bill Guerin. (Getty)
Bill Guerin has been tasked with righting the ship in Minnesota. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

After being on many shortlists for vacant GM positions over the last several years, Bill Guerin has finally landed the job.

The Minnesota Wild named Guerin as the fourth general manager in team history on Wednesday. Guerin will step in to replace Paul Fenton, who was fired earlier in the summer after just one year on the job.

Guerin retired from the NHL after 18 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won two Stanley Cups with the Devils and Penguins.

After hanging up his skates, Guerin landed a gig as a development coach with the Penguins in 2011. He quickly worked his way up the ladder, becoming an assistant GM under Jim Rutherford before accepting the vacant job in Minnesota.

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The search for the Wild’s new GM was headed by owner Craig Leipold and team president Matt Majka, with assistance from Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano. The Stars legend is quite familiar with Guerin. The two spent three seasons together in Dallas, not to mention the years playing with each other as part of the U.S. national team. The Wild were also familiar with Guerin as he had interviewed for the job a year ago before the team settled on Fenton.

Boasting a roster that featured a few too many overpriced veterans, the Wild missed the 2019 playoffs for the first time since 2012. Guerin will be tasked with getting this team back to its winning ways while avoiding a complete rebuild, which means the 48-year-old will likely have his work cut out for him.

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