There’s a watershed moment that still sticks with Wild general manager Bill Guerin however many years later. He was working for the Pittsburgh Penguins at the time. They were trying to bolster their roster ahead of the stretch run.
That sparked an internal debate about whether it was worth giving up a third-round pick at the trade deadline. The rebuttal from longtime Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford was the stuff of legend.
“That third-round pick better be a pretty good (expletive) player,” he said.
Though it should be noted that Guerin didn’t specify the particulars of the move itself, the Penguins traded a third-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 27, 2016 in exchange for defenseman Justin Schultz.
That successfully helped the Penguins shore up their blue line. They won the Stanley Cup a few months later.
That anecdote feels relevant when considering the sticker shock some people felt after the Wild traded a second-round pick to the Nashville Predators this week in exchange for center Michael McCarron.
The rhetoric in the immediate aftermath focused almost solely on what the Wild were giving up rather than what they were getting back. Not that Guerin seemed too concerned. He took a page out of his mentor’s book when asked about the cost of doing business, saying, “That second-round pick is not going to help us right now.”
It’s good to hear Guerin say that because that’s exactly how the Wild should be operating ahead of Friday afternoon’s NHL trade deadline. They shouldn’t be thinking about the future; not when they can accomplish so much in the present.
This is the first time in maybe forever that the Wild are legitimate contenders to win the Stanley Cup. The main objective for Guerin in the short term should be doing everything in his power to maximize the opportunity in front of him.
That logic should apply to any move — big or small — that could potentially help the Wild get over the hump.
Who cares that the Wild just traded a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft? It will be a small price to pay as long as the 6-foot-6, 230-pound McCarron can win some faceoffs and add some sandpaper to the bottom half of the lineup.
Those criticizing Guerin for what he gave up for McCarron probably couldn’t even name who the Wild selected with their second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The answer is winger Ryder Ritchie, who currently plays for Boston University and is still years away from contributing at the highest level.
That underscores a larger issue that spans all sports: an obsession with the future that often blinds fans from enjoying the present.
A good example of that came a few months ago when the Wild acquired superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. There were some people concerned at the time that Guerin had to part with young defenseman Zeev Buium to make it happen. Now that deal is proving to be the best trade in franchise history by a wide margin.
That doesn’t mean Guerin has been perfect. He made a blockbuster deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets a couple of years ago, for instance, that netted defenseman David Jiricek, the sixth overall pick in the 2022 draft. He’s currently toiling away in the minors.
That didn’t stop Guerin from taking another big swing when he had the chance. That might be his best quality as a decision maker. He puts himself in position to hit home runs because he isn’t afraid to strike out.
The biggest reason the Wild finally seem to be good enough to win the Stanley Cup is because they have trio of superstars in Hughes, winger Kirill Kaprizov, and winger Matt Boldy leading the way.
The next step for the Wild (36-16-10, 82 points) is rounding out the rest of their lineup. That will be of the utmost importance ahead of a silly NHL playoff format that makes likely they’ll have to play Central Division rivals Dallas (38-14-9, 85 points) and Colorado (41-10-9, 91 points) before even reaching the Western Conference Finals.
The addition of McCarron by himself likely isn’t going to be the difference between the Wild winning and losing a Stanley Cup. The fact that Guerin was willing to pull the trigger without fear might be.
Especially if it allows the Wild reel in another big fish.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) plays during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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