Even when Bill Guerin was a young player with the New Jersey Devils, he always led the charge. First into the corner. Mucking. Grinding. Getting it done on a nightly basis.
Guerin and Keith Tkachuk changed American hockey in the 1990s.
The Americans boasted skilled defensemen and centers. But they lacked grit, tenacity and snarl. In Canada vs. USA, the Canadiens owned the boards. Then Guerin and Tkachuk came along and added a layer of aggressiveness. Suddenly, the Americans started coming out of the corners with the puck.
Dealing with Bill Guerin in a hockey game was like night in jail. Never an easy night
Twenty-some years later I still see the Guerin aggressiveness at the managerial level. He’s been bold in remaking the team. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were bought out. The roster was revamped. Guerin made things happen. That’s why I believe we should not rule out the Wild making a splash before the NHL trade deadline.
I’ve had no one tell me that the Minnesota Wild are trying to land goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, but I’ve had general managers tell me they believe Guerin has tried or will try to win over Fleury.
Guerin knows Fleury from their Pittsburgh days. He knows what Fleury can do in the dressing room and on the ice. He knows what it's like to bask in Fleury's playoff aura and find comfort in his composure. Plus, Fleury's a funny. He keeps teammates smiling.
The Wild played well for much of this season. But they aren’t on top of their game now. They are 2-8 in their past 10. They are out of sync. They own the NHL’s third best-goal scoring team at 3.69 goals per game and rank 22nd in goals-against average (3.22). Their team save percentage of .902 ranks 19th. It wouldn’t take much for the Wild to fall below .900 in that category.
Guerin has never been one to stand idle when he has options to help this team win. He used to do it with hits and goals. Now he can do it with a phone call or two.
This is a season for Guerin to push the envelope. Starting next season the Wild start paying a heavier price for buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Next season the Wild will have $12.7 million in dead cap space.
This is the season to make the splash, nine months after the Montreal Canadiens’ surprised everyone by reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
Athletic reporter Mike Russo, one of the NHL's best beat writers, recommended the Minnesota Wild trade for Shea Weber's contract. Weber will finish his career on the IR, meaning he can help ease the burden of the dead money. When you place guys on long-term IR, you in effect raise your salary cap ceiling.
That kind of move would certainly constitute a splash.
Maybe Fleury isn’t interested in playing for Minnesota or any team except Chicago. Even if he can’t get Fleury, I still believe Guerin will do something bold or memorable. One executive told me thought the Wild will make a bid for Claude Giroux. At the very least, Guerin will try to do enough to energize his team.
That’s just who Guerin is. That’s who he’s always been.
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