Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin discusses Kirill Kaprizov's 'stressful' summer
The Minnesota Wild didn't make a lot of major moves this offseason but general manager Bill Guerin believes the roster is in a great spot ahead of training camp.
Guerin made an appearance on KFAN on Monday afternoon along with The Athletic's Michael Russo, where he discussed Kirill Kaprizov's return from Russia, the decision to trade Dmitry Kulikov and the opportunity for young players to step up this season.
Guerin specifically discussed the process to get Kaprizov back to the United States, who was denied entry to the country after his work visa expired in June. While rumors spread that Kaprizov had purchased a fake military I.D., the Wild reached out to some people in Washington who got Kaprizov to renew his visa to Turkey before returning to Minnesota.
"There was some stress involved and we really got some fantastic, much-needed help from some people in Washington and some good friends of ours that knew what they were doing more than we did," Guerin said. "We couldn’t have done it without their help and we’re just happy that Kirill is over here and that he’s safe and everything’s good. It was just a long time coming but everything’s good now and we’ll just look forward.”
Guerin admitted that Kaprizov will also benefit from being in Minnesota early for training camp. At this time last year, Kaprizov was busy negotiating a new contract before arriving on the eve of camp. He started the season without a goal in his first eight games but turned it on to finish with a franchise-record 47 goals.
"It's been a stressful summer for him," Guerin said. "I know he's ready. I know he's prepared. I know he's happy to be here. It's just a matter of getting off on the right foot. He might have started slow but boy did he make up for it in the end."
Guerin also said that he went back on forth on the decision to trade Kulikov to the Anaheim Ducks. While the move cleared up $2.25 million in cap space, he ultimately decided to do it to create an opportunity for other players on the roster, namely Calen Addison and Andrej Sustr.
"We just think when we get healthy…then we have a real issue because we’re going to be sitting out a player that’s really too good to be sitting out," Guerin explained. "We kind of had to make a business decision and you know how valuable cap space is in today’s day and age and especially in our situation, we just feel that we still have enough good defensemen."
That doesn't mean that the younger players will be handed an opportunity during camp. Guerin added that he feels that his roster is in "a great spot" coming into training camp and the team has the flexibility to improve later in the season. But he also expects several players to step up when camp begins in a couple of weeks.
"I think a lot of guys will get a good opportunity," Guerin said. "We have a bunch of players that are in spots where they really have to prove themselves and they really want to have good years. I’m looking forward to see how guys step up."
A pair of players that have the most to gain are first-round picks Marco Rossi and Jesper Wallstedt. Rossi is expected to be on the opening night roster, but Guerin reiterated that nothing will be handed to the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
"I believe in Marco," Guerin said. "I believe in his character, work ethic, and all that stuff. He's going to come in and have a great camp. I'm confident of that."
Guerin also had praise for Wallstedt, who is coming off a tremendous performance in the 2022 World Juniors and is expected to start the season with the Iowa Wild.
"Just watching how he carries himself, he’s definitely ready for the next step," Guerin said. "I think it’s important for us to keep his confidence at a very high level and keep him moving forward. Like any other prospect, we don’t want to rush him and we don’t want to go too slow. We want to find that sweet spot of development for him and help him reach his full potential.”
With younger players like Sam Steel and Tyson Jost also pining for an opportunity, Guerin said that camp will be important for guys to earn their spot on the roster.
"We want to give players an opportunity but it’s extremely hard when you have a roster that’s almost set," Guerin explained. "What we’re looking for is guys to come in and kick the door in and create their own opportunity."
