Guerin: Buyouts not easy, but necessary as Wild moves forward

ST. PAUL -- When the Wild signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to matching 13-year, $98 million contracts nine summers ago, it marked the beginning of a new era in the State of Hockey.
On Tuesday morning, that era came to an end.
The Wild bought out the final four seasons of those landmark deals, a bookend that General Manager Bill Guerin said concluded a process he's been contemplating for months - not days or weeks - as he continues to execute his vision for the franchise.

"They've given everything and have had an incredible impact on this organization and in the Twin Cities," Guerin said. "It was a very difficult decision [made] over lots of time and lots of meetings. Lots of things went into this decision, but it's a big decision that I feel we needed to make in order to keep moving forward."
At the crux of the decision were both short-term and long-term implications for the franchise.
Most pressing is the fact that the Wild is entering a busy next couple of weeks, where it will lose a player in the Expansion Draft next week, potentially open itself up for trade business ahead of the NHL Draft, and the draft itself.
Combined with the statuses of Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala, both restricted free agents who will likely command hefty raises ahead of next season, and the Wild's near-term flexibility was in question.
And while Guerin said these moves does not "mean more money for everybody," including Kaprizov and Fiala, inking them was expected to eat up a vast, vast majority of the team's salary cap space, and the Wild still has a few more players to add in order to even ice a complete roster.
That shouldn't be an issue now.
"We'll get some cap relief this summer, and after that it will be a little more difficult," Guerin said. "But we just felt like doing both ... it was the right time. We know how much they've meant to this team and the city, so these are not easy decisions to make, but you have to make them and you stand by them."
Long-term, the move is an indication of the next wave of talent that is knocking on the door in both Iowa and Minnesota.
Both Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi are expected to push for roster spots at training camp this fall. So are players like Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar.
Others, like Adam Beckman, Damien Giroux and Alex Khovanov are also expected to push in the coming year or two.
And that's just the forward group.
"It opens the door for other guys. It creates opportunity," Guerin said. "Going back to the Jason Zucker trade, Jason was a very good player here and it wasn't a very popular move, but that opened the door for Kevin Fiala. And that's really what allowed him become the player that he is now.
"So it's a tough day for everybody, but there are some guys who are going to jump on this opportunity. And that's what we expect, that's what we hope for."
On the back end, Calen Addison made his NHL debut this season and seems like a good bet to make a roster push in camp. Minnesota also owns the rights to Brennan Menell, who played last season in the KHL, but was the AHL Defenseman of the Year two seasons ago in Iowa.
Menell is also an RFA who would need to be re-signed this summer, but likely won't command a huge salary.
Further down the line, the Wild drafted a pair of defensemen early in the draft last season, selecting Ryan O'Rourke and Daemon Hunt in the second round and third rounds, respectively.
O'Rourke, who was set to be captain of the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, instead played the full season in Iowa because of COVID-19, and at 18 years old, was very impressive.
The Wild were thrilled when Hunt slipped to them in the third round in the 2020 Draft after an injury-plagued season the year prior.
Both are expected to play for their junior teams next season, but could be knocking on the NHL door a year or two from now.
"I have very high hopes for a lot of the guys, the younger players that were in Iowa or drafted last year," Guerin said. "I think we had four picks in the first three rounds last year, this year we have five picks in the first three rounds. So we're starting to accumulate some prospects and some guys that we really think are going to impact our team in years to come.
"There's a bunch of names, and it's a very competitive business. We want guys to elevate their games and come in and take jobs. Nobody is going to give you a job in this league, you have to come in and you have to take one."
The move to buy out both Parise and Suter frees up more than $10 million in cap space for the upcoming season. Minnesota will save only $2 million next season before the cap savings virtually disappears in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Suter and Parise will then account for $1.6 million in cap space for four seasons beginning in 2025-26.
None of that will be easy to stomach, but Guerin insists the Wild has a plan to, not only weather the times ahead, but bring a coveted championship to the State of Hockey.
"We have to keep moving forward," Guerin said. "We have to keep trying to turn the page, keep trying to get better and reach our ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup."