Extreme
Makeover
by Michael Russo
Russo's Rants
P R E S E N T E D B Y
Wild GM because he really never
got to tinker during his first year
at the helm.
Sure, he ultimately sw ung
the Jason Zucker trade last
February, but remember, he
was hired in the second half of
August 2019—late in that offsea-
son because of the abrupt firing
of Paul Fenton.
So, Guerin really never got a
first crack at tweaking, or in this
autumn's case, overhauling the
roster.
The Wild have made the play-
offs seven times in the past eight
years, but they haven't advanced
into the second round since 2015
and have not proven to be a true
Western Conference contender.
Can Joel
Eriksson Ek,
one of the
top defensive
centers in
the Western
Conference,
add more
offense this
season?
J A N / F E B 2 0 2 1 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M
27
Photos / Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
n the most abnormal
of offseasons because
of the pandemic delay-
ing the end to the
2019-20 season and
start to the 2020-21
season, Bill Guerin was one busy
general manager this fall.
Hard to blame the former NHL
star and soon-to-be second-year
I
Can Bill Guerin's
remodeled roster be
the start of a Cup-
winning culture?
