Bill Guerin declares Wild's championship window open

Bill Guerin says the Wild have opened their championship window and that he's not content sitting on his hands with a roster that got past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

In his end-of-season press conference, the Wild general manager talked about the team's playoff run and made it clear that he's not shy of going big-game hunting again this offseason as he looks to get Minnesota to its ultimate goal.

"We're in a window now," Guerin told media on Monday. "We're in a window where we have a very good team. So, we want to make sure that we don't just open the window three-quarters of the way. If there's a chance to get better, we will."

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In a blockbuster deal in December, Guerin landed star defenseman Quinn Hughes in a trade that shocked the hockey world. Hughes further legitimized the Wild's status as a Stanley Cup contender, registering 53 points (5 goals, 48 assists) with the team going 27-14-7 in the 48 games he played with Minnesota. Despite surpassing the 100-point threshold for the third time in franchise history, the Wild had to go through Dallas (No. 2 in the Central Division) in the first round before eventually being eliminated by the Avs (No. 1 in the NHL) in the second round of the playoffs.

"We have not achieved our ultimate goal," said Guerin. "The expectations are higher than they ever have been before. I guess we got over that hump finally but, again, that's not our goal. Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. It felt good, you know, it did. The feeling of being able to put that behind us was good. The fan reaction was crazy. It was incredible, I'm happy for them, I'm proud of that. But, like I said, it's not what we're after."

As the trade deadline approached in early March, the Wild were heavily linked to several potential blockbuster moves. No big move happened, though they did take some swings on veteran talent that filled out the roster.

"Yeah, I mean, we have a ton of interest in bringing (Michael McCarron) back," Guerin said when asked about McCarron, who the team acquired from Nashville at the deadline. "He was a really good fit. He delivered on everything that we knew about him, and was told about him. But yeah, I think everybody was really happy."

In 20 games with Minnesota, McCarron registered five points (three goals, two assists) and came up with big plays for the Wild throughout their playoff run.

While acquisitions like McCarron helped in spots, the team is still in need of a top-line center. Guerin stated that he's "going to keep improving this hockey team and get better and keep moving forward." He added that the team has "cap space" and "assets" to help do "whatever we can to continue to make this team better and better, so we can win a championship."

Guerin also acknowledged that the primary interest surrounding the Wild's offseason is in potentially acquiring a No. 1 center, and that, if something is available along those lines, he will be involved.

"The talk here is always the No. 1 center," Guerin said. "You know, obviously that's — we'll see what's available. But again, these are — I can't give you those answers today because we don't know who's going to be available, what's going to be available. This is still fresh. But, like, I think I've shown you, and our fans, and everybody involved that if there's something out there that can make our team better, I'm willing to do it and I won't sit on my hands."

While the Wild gave up significant assets to land Hughes in December, Guerin said he's confident he has the assets to swing another big trade.

"Yeah. There's always a way. There's always a deal to be made," Guerin said when asked whether he has the chips to trade for a top-line center. He added that he's "always confident" in his ability and "always willing" to get a deal done.

While the free agent targets this summer are slim, there are a number of supremely talented centers that, for one reason or another, may be available on the trade block over the next several months.

"I don't want to make knee-jerk reactions or say stupid things," said Guerin. "We just want to move methodically and improve the team every single year."

Hughes extension

When the Wild landed Hughes, they got no assurances that he would be willing to sign with Minnesota long-term. Next season, Hughes will be entering the final year of a six-year, $47.1 million deal he signed with Vancouver in 2021.

Shortly after being eliminated by Colorado, Hughes was asked about his future in Minnesota. The star defenseman said he "really liked" being with the Wild and that he "would definitely be open to re-signing."

"We're interested in signing Quinn, too," Guerin said. "I mean, we loved having Quinn. He was so impactful. He's extremely dialed in on what's going on here. I know he liked it here. He liked the team; the team really embraced him. I loved having him here. The impact he had was incredible. So, yeah, priority one. But these are things that take time. I think everybody needs time to decompress. But, yeah, that's priority one."

With Kirill Kaprizov's cap hit jumping from $9 million this season to $17 million next season, the Wild are a bit pressed for cap space. According to PuckPedia, Minnesota will have around $13.51 million in available cap space in 2026-27. That number jumps to around $48.46 million in 2027-28, when Hughes' next contract would kick in, so there is certainly room to sign the 26-year-old to a potentially record deal.

Goalie situation

One of the other big, looming questions hanging over the Wild this offseason is how the team will handle its goalie situation. Filip Gustavsson's is fresh off a $34 million contract extension, but his health has been thrown into question along with his status as a No. 1 ggoalie after the stellar play Jesper Wallstedt.

Wallstedt was handed the starting spot in the playoffs after a strong finish to the regular season. In the postseason, Wallstedt started all but one game and recorded a .909 save percentage. In his lone start in the playoffs, Gustavsson allowed four goals on 22 shots in a 5-2 Game 2 loss to Colorado.

On Monday, Guerin noted that Gustavsson is undergoing surgery on his hip. Guerin said he wasn't sure if Gustavsson would be available by the start of next season, but that the injury wasn't related to something that happened in a game, saying that it was "wear and tear" related.

Gustavsson's surgery and rehab will likely complicate whether the team could use him or Wallstedt as a trade chip this summer. With both goalies playing well throughout the season, it gave the Wild two starting-caliber goalies. While that's definitely a benefit, it also provides the opportunity to use one as a lucrative trade chip to land a potential top-line center.

According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, the Wild offered Wallstedt, and young forward Danila Yurov, to St. Louis in a proposed trade that would have netted center Robert Thomas, who would have filled that No. 1 center need. The Blues rejected the trade and, with his play, Wallstedt may have staked his claim as the Wild goalie of the future.

"Yeah, no, I like our goaltending situation," said Guerin. "To be quite honest with you, both of our goalies are No. 1 goalies. The luxury of it is being able to put a fresh, rested goalie in net every night. Both guys are signed. They're both very good. They work well in a tandem. They support each other. So, I'm very comfortable where it is."