Scott Mellanby Gets A Second Interview For GM Role
- Bill Guerin isn’t the only Minnesota GM candidate to get a second interview thus far. Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports (Twitter link) that Montreal assistant GM Scott Mellanby has also had a second interview with the Wild. Tom Kurvers, who is currently battling cancer, is currently serving as their interim GM but does not appear to be under consideration for the full-time role.
Latest On Minnesota’s GM Search
It has now been more than two weeks since the Wild surprisingly fired GM Paul Fenton after just one season at the helm. While the team is still in the stages of interviewing, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that Bill Guerin has already had a second discussion with the team before some prospective candidates have even had their first. That suggests that the 48-year-old may be a frontrunner for the position.
While Guerin has never been an NHL GM before, he does have a strong base of experience to work on. He has been worked in several off-ice roles with Pittsburgh since 2011 ranging from a development coach to GM of AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to assistant GM of the Penguins, a title he has held since 2014-15. He has worked under a pair of respected GMs in Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford so it’s fair to suggest that he might be ready for the challenge.
However, Minnesota went with a rookie in Fenton last time, one that team owner Craig Leipold had some familiarity with from their time in Nashville and that decision didn’t work out too well. Accordingly, some believe that the Wild may be better served with someone with some experience in an NHL GM role. With that in mind, Russo notes former Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall could also get a second look while former executives Mike Gillis and Brian Lawton have had brief discussions with the team so far. Former Boston and Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli has also been linked to Minnesota’s search as was Carolina GM Don Waddell before he re-signed with Carolina.
Meanwhile, others that don’t have NHL GM experience that have garnered some level of consideration are believed to include New Jersey assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, Los Angeles assistant GM Mike Futa, London Knights GM Mark Hunter, and Montreal assistant GM Scott Mellanby. NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, whose only assistant GM experience came with Hartford in 1993-94, is also believed to have had some discussions with the team though not a formal interview.
With training camps now less than a month away, it stands to reason that they’ll want to have someone in place well before that time. They still have to re-sign Kevin Fiala, a process that’s on hold at this point and there may be other opportunities for player movement closer to the start of training camp (and whenever some of the notable restricted free agents reach new deals). It looks like Guerin is a contender for the position although it also appears that the search is far from complete.
Kevin Fiala Negotiations Waiting On New GM
When Paul Fenton was fired a few weeks ago by the Minnesota Wild, not only did the team have to start an immediate (and perhaps desperate) search for a new general manager, but the rest of their offseason was put on hold. Assistant GM Tom Kurvers took over the day to day operations, but has only officially signed prospect Hunter Warner in that time. What does it mean for the team’s other restricted free agents? Well Kevin Fiala told reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com that he now just has to “see and wait” for the Wild to name a new GM before his negotiations can continue. Fenton and Fiala’s agent Claude Lemieux were working on a contract when the dismissal happened, meaning the young forward is now in a sort of limbo as he watches from afar.
Fiala has known Fenton for years going back to their time in the Nashville Predators organization. It was 2014 when the young forward was selected 11th overall, likely thanks at least in part to the then-assistant general manager who was known for his scouting abilities. Fenton, who was also GM of the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, then helped develop Fiala into the player he is today, the one that he went after at this year’s trade deadline. Fiala came to the Wild in exchange for Mikael Granlund and put up seven points in 19 games down the stretch. The 23-year old explained to Rosen what it meant to him when he heard the GM had been fired:
He’s a great person and he has had an impact on my life, not just my career. It was emotional on that day and a few days after, but at the end of the day it’s business. That maybe sounds stupid, but it is. For me right now it’s just focusing on the season.
There’s no doubt that Fiala has immense potential that has flashed at times throughout his young career, but the Swiss forward took a mild step backwards last season when he recorded just 39 points combined between the two clubs. Gone was the 23-goal campaign from 2017-18 and with it some leverage in contract negotiations. Whoever the Wild bring in as GM will likely not have the same connection to Fiala and will have to decide what kind of salary and term the team wants to commit.
With three full seasons under his belt Fiala has four years of restricted free agency remaining and could be arbitration eligible next summer. The Wild also have Joel Eriksson Ek to get signed, who is also coming off a rather disappointing season but still possesses lots of potential to become a key contributor for Minnesota.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minnesota Not Given Permission To Interview Bill Zito
In June, the Columbus Blue Jackets promoted Bill Zito to senior vice president of hockey operations and associate general manager. It sounds like they don’t want to lose him from that position, as Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the Minnesota Wild asked for permission to speak with Zito for their vacant GM position and were not granted it. Russo had previously reported the same regarding New York Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury.
Interestingly though, the Wild interviewed Zito for the job last summer before eventually going with Paul Fenton. Now that Fenton has been relieved of his duties just 14 months into his tenure, it seems as though they have missed their chance to hire the Columbus executive. Zito has been on the short list for several positions around the league over the last few years, including the Philadelphia Flyers job that eventually went to former Wild GM Chuck Fletcher and with the Seattle expansion team who eventually hired Ron Francis.
There’s good reason for the interest, as Zito has deep ties to the hockey world. Once one of the more powerful player agents in the league, Zito has experience negotiating contracts from both sides of the table. He has now been with the Blue Jackets since 2013, and took over as general manager of their AHL affiliate in 2015. In his first season running the Lake Erie (now Cleveland) Monsters the team won a Calder Cup. He also served as GM of Team USA at the 2018 World Championship, bringing home a bronze medal.
Don Waddell also obviously won’t be taking the Minnesota position after inking an extension with the Carolina Hurricanes today. Ron Hextall, Bill Guerin and Tom Fitzgerald are among the candidates previously linked to the Wild.
Minnesota Wild Sign Hunter Warner
The Minnesota Wild have signed restricted free agent Hunter Warner to a one-year two-way contract. The deal will carry a $700K salary in the NHL. Warner was not eligible for salary arbitration.
Warner, 23, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the USHL in 2014 where he was a menace on defense. Racking up 125 penalty minutes in just 43 games for the Fargo Force, that physicality has continued through the rest of his junior career and into the minor leagues. Playing for the Iowa Wild the last few years Warner has totaled just 18 points in 165 games but was a core piece in 2018-19 when the team made the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time.
With Warner signed the Wild now have just three restricted free agents left to sign. At least two of them, Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek are important pieces of the NHL roster and will hopefully find some common ground with the front office over the next month. That front office of course is without a leader at the moment after Paul Fenton‘s early dismissal.
More On Don Waddell’s Position With Carolina
Wednesday: While Waddell has interviewed for the Minnesota job, Dundon fully believes that his current general manager will remain with the team. He told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that he expects Waddell to be Carolina’s GM for a while and that he intends to continue with Waddell not being under any sort of formal contract.
Tuesday: For those who weren’t aware that GM Don Waddell had not yet signed a new contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, especially some Hurricanes fans, it came as a painful revelation this morning when the news broke that Waddell had interviewed for the same role with the Minnesota Wild. The resulting question obviously becomes: why hasn’t a General Manager of the Year candidate, whose team made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Final, been re-signed?
As Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer writes, Waddell’s continued free agency is just one of a series of odd moves – or really non-moves – made by the Hurricanes organization this off-season. In addition to the GM and President operating without a contract, Carolina has also allowed several executives and scouts to depart, as well as Calder Cup-winning AHL coach Mike Vellucci, and goalie coach Mike Bales, who has yet to be replaced. This all comes from what DeCock describes as owner Tom Dundon‘s belief that “everyone and everything is replaceable”.
Dundon himself addressed the situation, speaking honestly with DeCock about his mindset when it comes to front office staffing:
Even if [Waddell] had a contract I would let him interview, so what’s the difference? It’s not going to stop somebody from doing whatever’s better for them. If they’re going to pay somebody more money, I’m not going to stop them. I told him he’s got to do what’s best for him… I’m not going to pay what other guys pay GMs, so me having a contract with a GM doesn’t really help me. Don in essence has a contract. I already told Don, ‘I’m not going to fire you. If I did, I’d tell you a year in advance.’ My life’s pretty good. I want people to do what’s best for their life. If this is what’s best for Don, the Hurricanes will be fine.”
It’s a bold strategy by the owner and one that might frighten some fans about in the direction of the franchise. At the same time, Waddell has seemed agreeable to the premise and it could be that this is simply Dundon’s style and many are content to operate as such. DeCock writes that Waddell has continued in a “business as usual” manner ever since his contract expired in June and interviewing with the Wild is the first sign that he may be unhappy with his current at-will status. The GM himself talked to DeCock about the situation, and seemed open to the arrangement though:
Tom doesn’t believe in a lot of contracts. Tom’s told me I have a job for life. But he’s also encouraged me to explore other opportunities to see what the market will pay. We started something here, I love it here, but when the job opened up and Tom said you should explore it, that’s what I’m doing.
It remains to be seen whether, as Waddell mentioned, this interview in Minnesota was more or less a way to gauge the market for use as leverage in eventual contract talks or if the GM really is interested in moving on after such a strong first season in Carolina. It is a very strange and unique situation and this is certainly not the last of this story.
Minnesota Wild Not Given Permission To Interview Chris Drury
The Minnesota Wild GM search continues and though Michael Russo of The Athletic believes a decision won’t come until later in the month, more information about potential candidates has emerged. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Wild asked for permission from the New York Rangers to interview assistant GM Chris Drury, but were turned down. Friedman notes that the Rangers have now declined requests from two different teams on Drury, the other being the Buffalo Sabres.
Drury has been with the Rangers for the last several years and was given control of the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2017. He was also the choice as GM of Team USA at the most recent World Championship, a team that actually underperformed despite an excellent roster. Despite that unfortunate result Drury is a very well-respected young executive who has been on the radar of several teams over the last few seasons and is an important part of the Rangers rebuild.
The Wolf Pack have actually failed to make the playoffs in both of the years under Drury’s leadership, but at the same time have continued to develop some of the important young talents for New York. Minnesota would have been a much different task, trying to get a team back to the playoffs quickly without much appetite for a full rebuild. Wild owner Craig Leipold was clear he didn’t want a rebuild earlier this year when he sent a video to season ticket holders.
Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell, Pittsburgh Penguins AGM Bill Guerin and former Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall have already interviewed for the position, among others. It is not clear when the request to speak with Drury was made.
Minnesota Wild Interview Bill Guerin, Don Waddell
The Minnesota Wild are aggressively searching for their next GM after unceremoniously firing Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure and two more interesting names have popped up. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) confirms that the team interviewed Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Bill Guerin on Monday after previously receiving permission from the club to do so, but it is the second name that raises an eyebrow. Don Waddell also interviewed for the job, despite still being the GM of the Carolina Hurricanes. Russo reports however that Waddell is technically a free agent given that his contract with the Hurricanes expired on June 30th and he has actually not yet been signed to a new deal by Carolina owner Tom Dundon.
Waddell has been with the Hurricanes for several years and when Ron Francis was let go in the spring of 2018 he moved from the business side over to hockey operations and assumed control. Carolina found immediate success under Waddell and went all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, notably with former Minnesota forward Nino Niederreiter riding shotgun after he was snatched from Fenton in exchange for Victor Rask. Interviewing a current GM from another team—even one without a valid contract—is so uncommon that it is not clear how a situation like that would unfold if the Wild decided that Waddell was their man.
Guerin meanwhile has been an up-and-coming GM candidate for quite a while but doesn’t have the kind of experience that owner Craig Leipold hinted he was looking for when explaining the Fenton move. He has served as assistant GM in Pittsburgh for the last five years and took over as GM of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when Jason Botterill moved on to Buffalo in 2017.
Other candidates listed by Russo include Ron Hextall, Peter Chiarelli, Brian Lawton, Scott Mellanby, Tom Fitzgerald, Bill Zito, Basil McRae, Mike Futa and Mark Hunter.
Jason Pominville Considering Buffalo, Montreal
Less than 24 hours after our Brian La Rose profiled Jason Pominville‘s continued free agent availability, The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin has an update on where he might be headed if he’s to continue his NHL career. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pominville has two routes in mind: staying with the Buffalo Sabres or signing with his hometown Montreal Canadiens. Although Pominville has proven that he is still a capable NHL forward at 36 years old, recording 16 goals and 30+ points in each of the past two season, the veteran forward is well aware that the free agent market is tough and that the NHL is getting younger and faster, but he is not willing to take just any job to keep playing:
There are quite a few players in my situation, they’re not sure if they’re going to play, or if they do they’re not sure where they want to go… As for me, we’ll see. I’m staying in shape, but I’m not going to just jump into any situation. I do it because I love it, and because I know I still can play, but it’s going to have to be the right fit.
That “right fit” for Pominville also includes considering his family. Godin writes that Pominville’s children are at an age now where picking up and moving is not as easy. The family is entrenched in Buffalo and would like to stay there if possible. Of course, the Sabres are already over the salary cap ceiling for the coming season and will have to move a player as is before the season begins. Whether they look to use any space they manage to open up to bring on another player remains to be seen, as does whether Pominville would be a preferred target. The winger has played eleven seasons in Buffalo and contributed over 500 points to the franchise, but that doesn’t ensure continued interest.
As for Montreal, it would be a natural fit for the Quebec native, who still trains in the area during the off-season, and would likely be a more comfortable move for his family. Agent Normand Dupont tells Godin that he feels the Canadiens have not yet replaced Andrew Shaw, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks this summer, and feels Pominville could easily take on the two-way veteran forward role. In addition to the need, the Canadiens also have the salary cap space to add Pominville (or an even bigger name actually), so the fit there could exist.
This may not be an exhaustive list of who Pominville would play for next season, but his comments certainly make it seem like he would rather retire that move to an unfamiliar team far from his family at this point in his long career. A return to the Minnesota Wild or a move to other nearby clubs like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, or Pittsburgh Penguins could also be on the table for Pominville, even if not mentioned specifically. Only time will tell what the rest of the off-season will bring for the respected veteran, but he can certainly still play if the right opportunity presents itself.
Jason Zucker Likely Safe Following Paul Fenton’s Firing
Former Minnesota Wild GM Paul Fenton managed to trade away Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle, and Mikael Granlund in 14 months on the job and was shopping Zach Parise prior to his dismissal. Yet, the name that has come up most often in trade rumors of the last year has been another core forward, Jason Zucker. Shortly after signing a new five-year, $27.5MM extension with the team last summer, Zucker’s name seemingly took a permanent spot on the trade block and was seemingly close to being dealt on several occasions, including a nixed deal to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Phil Kessel earlier this off-season.
With Fenton’s departure now comes piece of mind for Zucker, writes NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. Zucker received a personal call from Minnesota owner Craig Leipold when the decision to move on from Fenton was officially made, with Leipold clearly feeling that Zucker was one of the players most ill-affected by Fenton’s reign and was a long-term key player who deserved better. Zucker tells Pierce that he is glad none of the rumored trades ever came to fruition, as he is happy to be in Minnesota and is ready for a fresh start but relieved it didn’t require a move to a different team. Zucker says that he and his teammates are not worried about the new GM, but are eager to see what comes next for the club:
You earn the respect by the moves you make, the teams you build, and the championships you win, and that’s what it comes down to. For us, we’re excited to see who comes in and the direction he’s going to take this organization.
As for Zucker’s job security moving forward, a new GM is unlikely to trade away any more core players from Minnesota, at least not any time soon. He will likely take some time this upcoming season to evaluate the team before restructuring. Even then, Zucker’s $5.5MM cap hit over the next four years is a bargain deal if he can get back to the 64-point form he showed in 2017-18. However, after a drop-off to just 42 points last season, he’ll need to bounce back to remain safe moving forward. Additionally, Zucker’s limited No-Trade Clause – a ten-team no-trade list – will help him stay in Minnesota if it comes to that, but the 27-year-old would rather prove his worth through his player rather than have to use his contract. As the team looks to move on from Fenton and repair their culture, a well-respected player like Zucker feeling comfortable, playing up to par, and buying into the team’s long-term plan could be invaluable for Minnesota.