Minnesota Wild rumors: Don Waddell, Bill Guerin among GM interviews
According to The Athletic, the Minnesota Wild have interviewed two more candidates to fill their general manager vacancy – Don Waddell and Bill Guerin.
The Minnesota Wild recently fired general manager Paul Fenton. Though he only lasted about 14 months, he did enough damage that owner Craig Leipold didn’t hesitate to show him the door. Because the Wild fired Fenton at the end of July, they’ve had to move quickly with their interviews as they try to get someone in place.
According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Wild have already interviewed numerous candidates. But on Monday, they interviewed two interesting names – Bill Guerin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Don Waddell of the Carolina Hurricanes.
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Guerin’s name seems to come up whenever a general manager job opens up. He’s currently an assistant general manager for the Penguins. Also, Guerin serves as the general manager for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.
His track record as a winner, both on and off the ice, is impressive. Guerin has won an NCAA title, a World Cup title, two Stanley Cups as a player, two more Stanley Cups as an executive, and an Olympic silver medal.
He has experience as a development coach and has been credited with helping the Penguins with players such as Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust. The Wild have never been very good at developing players, so Guerin would be an asset for the Wild if they decide to go with a relatively inexperienced option. That’s something they might not do after the Fenton fiasco.
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Guerin interviewed with the Wild last summer for their general manager vacancy, so it’s not surprising they like him a year later. It’s worth noting Mike Modano, a former teammate of Guerin, is helping with Minnesota’s GM search. So he knows him well.
Waddell’s name ought to ring a bell for Wild fans. He’s that guy who leads the front office of the team who traded for Nino Niederreiter. Waddell was a GM of the Year finalist this past season for the Hurricanes, helping them make their first trip to the postseason since the 2008-09 season.
However, he currently does not have a contract, as Carolina hasn’t re-signed him yet. Waddell is on the market and it’s interesting the Hurricanes have let it get to this point. He has been involved in multiple front offices. Waddell is perhaps most famous for his tenure with the Atlanta Thrashers from 1998 to 2010.
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According to Russo, Peter Chiarelli and Ron Hextall are among the other candidates the Wild are considering. This process is moving very quickly, so expect a decision to happen soon.