Bill Guerin explains why he won't make major change
Minnesota's head coach is safe, for now.
HockeyFeed
It's the broken record that for some reason, continues and continues to play and ring sounds of horror in the ears of fans in the State of Hockey. The Minnesota Wild were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet again, meaning that they've not advanced past Round 1 since taking down the St. Louis Blues in 2015.
Additionally, it's been exactly 20 years since the team advanced past Round 2 of the postseason in that magical run of 2003 that would culminate in a cruel fate that the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars before them experienced - running into a brick wall in the form of Anaheim Mighty Ducks goaltender J.S. Giguere.
And while some fans are wondering if there was going to be a coaching change made by general manager Bill Guerin, they have their answer. Dean Evason isn't going anywhere, at least for now.
"I like Dean. He’s a good coach," Guerin explained. "I do believe in him. Not every coach is going to have instant success. Just like players. Coaches get better every year, they get more experience. Dean has not been a head coach in this league for a long time. He’s still learning as well. I do say this. He hasn’t gotten past the first round. But I look back at the good stuff that he’s done. He’s coached a team that’s missing two big players because of the cap hits. It’s not an excuse, but a fact."
"He’s coached that team to back-to-back 100-point seasons and got us to the playoffs," Guerin continued. "That’s pretty good. The thing I love about Dean, he doesn’t give a s— about this (cap hits). He never mentions it. It’s a simple approach. Just face-to-face with the guys, great communication. I believe in him. We’re all still learning. For a guy who has been a coach in the league for four years, he still has some growth."
Guerin would also confuse some fans by declaring that despite yet another 1st round exit, the 2022-23 season for the Wild wasn't "a failure".
“There’s been this narrative out there right now that, ‘Oh, the Wild can’t get past the first round,'” Guerin said.
Well, that's not a narrative - it's literal fact. Is Evason the coach to get the Wild over the hump of at least winning a playoff round next season?
