Minnesota Wild Still Shooting for Playoffs but Guerin Admits More Losing Could Change That

By Eric Strack |

Updated: Jan 15, 2024

It’s been a tough stretch for the Minnesota Wild, who are trying to avoid their 5th-straight loss on Monday night vs the New York Islanders, and it has them sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with just over a handful of games remaining before the All-Star break.

But president of hockey operations, Bill Guerin, does not plan on adjusting down the team’s goals for 2023-24, whose eyes are still on the NHL Playoffs. “There’s a lot of hockey to be played,” Guerin told reporters on Monday evening, just prior to faceoff, “we aren’t ready to wave the white flag or anything like that.”

"There's a lot of hockey left."

Wild GM Bill Guerin spoke with the media before tonight's tilt with the Islanders. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/FRN7pG2eup
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) January 15, 2024

Guerin: “We’re getting healthy again. Kirill [Kaprizov] is back, [Jonas Brodin] is back tonight. [Filip Gustavsson] is back. There’s a lot of hockey to be played so we’re definitely not ready to wave the white flag or anything like that. We just want to get healthy and move forward and see what we can do.”

Reporter:”So there’s no panic from you, necessarily? You’re not looking at this team in a different light, there is still a lot of belief and confidence from you that they can climb back into good favor for the playoffs and all that and I’m sure that’s still the goal?”

Guerin: “I do and that is the goal.”

Bill Guerin hasn’t spoken to team since before Sweden trip

Billy was then asked about whether or not he had talked to the team since prior to their Sweden trip, when he blew his top on them in the locker room. That was when Dean Evason was still coach and prior to two separate investigations into Guerin’s conduct with Wild employees behind closed doors. Investigations we still do not know very much about.

But there were no questions at today’s press conference regarding those investigations, which is not that surprising given the media is now pretending like it never even happened. I don’t know what kind of gag order they are under but it’s a sad reality.

I’d venture as far as to say ever beat reporter in the Xcel Energy Center press box for home games knows the what, when, why and how of those investigations. For whatever reason, they have chosen to protect Guerin. Who knows if we will ever find out why.

Minnesota Wild aiming to win now, but no promises for later

When asked whether or not he will buy or sell, leading up to the trade deadline, the Wild president of hockey ops waffled on his answer. He said, if he did anything now, it would be to improve the roster. But if the losing continues, he can’t rule anything out.

Reporter:”If things continue to go sideways, as the deadline approaches. Would you still try to improve the team, at that point, or might there be a nod to focus on next year and potential draft picks and things?”

Guerin:”Yeah, I think… umm… that’s a possibility. I don’t think I can sit here right now and say, ‘if it goes sideways, we are going to do X, Y and Z… but we could.”

Consistency breeds winning and the Wild are not that

I mean, I’m not sure what is happening inside the Minnesota Wild facilities. I do, however, think it is a red flag that Bill Guerin hasn’t met with the team since investigations into his behavior left two longtime, important Minnesota Wild employees without jobs. That’s before we even get into Evason’s exit.

The margin for error in high-level professional sports is slim. Oftentimes, it’s not the teams with the most talent that wins, but instead its the best-run teams; those that operate with the most consistency, both on and off the ice. And in large part due to Bill Guerin, this organization is anything but well-run or consistent, right now.

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