Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin anticipates significant relief from the salary cap constraints imposed by the buyouts of Ryan Suter’s and Zach Parise’s contracts by this time next year. However, he remains focused on the current season.
“We’re trying to win,” Guerin stated during a KFAN FM 100.3 interview on Tuesday. He acknowledged the salary-cap challenges but emphasized that the team is not waiting for relief. “We’ve got some salary-cap obstacles, but you know, I think we have performed well under the situation that we put ourselves in. I’m looking forward to it, but … I’m not like, ‘Oh my God, we’ll just wait till next (year).’ No, we have this year.”
The buyouts continue to account for $14.74 million in dead cap for the second consecutive season. By 2025-26, the dead cap hit from Suter and Parise will drop to just under $1.67 million.
The Wild ended the 2023-24 season with a 39-34-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Despite the ongoing cap issues, Guerin believes that Minnesota has the potential to reach the postseason next spring.
“My expectations are to get back into the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. … I think there are some teams that are in a rebuild or whatever, but we are not,” he said. Guerin attributed last season’s struggles to injuries, emphasizing the need for improved health and performance. “The one thing that really hurt us last year were injuries. If we can stay healthy, we can get back to our 100-plus-point seasons and get back into the playoffs and improve on what we’ve done.”
Guerin highlighted the need for a rebound from key players and additional offensive contributions. “What we need is the guys that scored 10 (goals) but usually score 20 to get back to 20. (Marcus) Johansson’s got to have a better year. (Frederick) Gaudreau’s got to have a better year. (Matt) Boldy has to have a better start. (Kirill) Kaprizov has to have a better start. (Ryan) Hartman can have a better year. … Foligno, if he can stay healthy, we need him in the 15-20-goal range,” Guerin said.
He expressed confidence in the team’s potential, noting past successes as a basis for future performance. “These are guys you know, if you’ve done it once, you can do it again. They’re capable.”
The Wild’s offseason has been relatively modest, with expectations placed on younger players to make an impact. Guerin mentioned that 2022 first-round pick Liam Ohgren is expected to be an “impactful player” this season, and the plan includes increasing game time for top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt.
