Checking in with Wild GM Bill Guerin

As the pause in the 2019-20 regular season continues, Wild.com's Dan Myers chatted Monday with Wild General Manager Bill Guerin for an update on what's keeping him busy and how confident he is that hockey could return in the coming weeks:

Dan Myers: What are you doing these days to occupy your time?

Bill Guerin: There's been some work that had to be done. Hockey-wise, I'm keeping in constant contact with [Assistant General Manager] Tom Kurvers, [Director of Hockey Operations] Chris O'Hearn and [Director of Hockey Analytics] Mat Sells. We've got a few boxes that we checked off, preparing for the amateur meetings coming up in May.

On a personal level, we're doing what everyone else is doing; a lot of walks with the dogs, just kind of getting outside when we can.

DM: Since you came aboard late last summer, does it get any stranger than the last eight months for you personally?

BG: No, no. No. No. This has been the most bizarre year I think I can ever remember. And hey, look, the only thing that makes it bad is that there is this crazy virus going around. Everything else has been good. I'm disappointed we're not playing hockey right now, but what are you going to do? This is one of those things, you can't let it eat you up. You just have to embrace it, realize that this is reality right now and move on.

DM: In your heart of hearts, do you think the 2019-20 season resumes at some point?

BG: I think it does. The bottom line is, we're not doing anything unless it's safe for everybody. And if it is, I think we will and I think it would be the right thing to do. It'll be a little unusual, a little unorthodox, but that's OK. If we just wrap our arms around it and accept it, it will be fine. Once we start playing hockey, you play hockey.

DM: If games return, the assumption is at this point that they will come in empty arenas, at least initially. As a former player yourself, what do you think that will be like, especially this time of year as the magnitude of the games increases?

BG: No doubt, it will be different and there will be some adjusting that needs to be done mentally, but that's gonna be what it is. At the start, we'll just have to get used to it. We'll have to be mentally ready for everything. That's OK. If we sit here and complain about it or be negative about it, it won't be good for us, we'll just be doing ourselves more harm. If we get back to playing in empty buildings or at a neutral site, great, so be it. Let's just do it and see where we go.

DM: This pause is the ultimate 'reset button' moment. No matter how the schedule might look, it's going to be very abbreviated before the games become big. What do you think will be the key for teams to find quick success?

BG: I think the teams that can get up to speed as quickly as possible and get their game plan set. I think the teams that come back in the best condition, and not just physically, but the best mental condition, are gonna have an advantage and be ready to go.

DM: How many different sets of plans would you say you have in motion right now?

BG: To be honest with you, this is really one of those situations where it is hard to plan because you just don't have a lot of concrete information. We're ready for anything, but it's really hard to put a plan in place when this is such a moving target.

DM: You're confident that the season re-starts here at some point, but do you also have to start working in your normal summer plans just in case that doesn't happen?

BG: Yeah, but that happens no matter what. If we were in the middle of the playoffs, these amateur meetings in May would happen anyways. It's all business as usual, the only thing different is that we're doing it over the computer virtually rather than being in a room together. We're just sticking to our schedule right now.

DM: What has communication between the managers League-wide been like during this?

BG: It's been really good. The League has done an excellent job of keeping us up to speed in terms of everything that is going on, what they're hearing, what they know, what they're planning on and all of those things. It's been very good.

DM: Any updates on Kirill Kaprizov?

BG: Yeah, I've talked to him a number of times and we've gone back and forth. He's still in the middle of picking an agent and I'm confident on where we are with him and that he'll be here next year. But we just want to make sure we do the right things, wait for him to get an agent and then we can discuss [a contract].

DM: On the prospect front, Adam Beckman had a great year in the Western Hockey League. Matt Boldy had a tremendous second half at Boston College. It seemed like, overall, it was a good year for the system. You've had almost a year to evaluate it now, what are your thoughts on the pool as a whole?

BG: Yeah, I'm very excited about a lot of these young guys. And it's critical that we have them and we have them in the system, signed and playing well. You need these guys coming in and I'm excited about the group.

DM: What are the next few things on your overall checklist as we wait for word on the season?

BG: Right now, just getting things ready for the meetings in May with the amateur scouts. And after that, just trying to keep up to speed with everything that's going on with the virus and being prepared for things to open up. It's going to be a step-by-step process, so we want to be ready for everything and anything that could happen.