The NHL announced Friday evening that Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been named the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year — a historic first for both Guerin personally and for the Wild organization.
Under Guerin’s leadership, the Wild finished the season with a record of 46-24-12 and accumulated 104 points, ranking seventh-best across the entire league. The team advanced past the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference’s first round before ultimately being knocked out by the Colorado Avalanche.
Guerin reflected on the recognition with humility, saying: “You don’t achieve things like this on your own, ever. It does take a village. It takes a strong family.”
The voting results showed strong support for Guerin, who appeared on 37 of 40 ballots and collected 14 first-place votes for a total of 131 points. He finished ahead of the other two first-time finalists: Chris MacFarland of the Avalanche, who received 20 first-place votes and 123 total points, and Pat Verbeek of the Anaheim Ducks, who earned two first-place votes and 29 points.
The award is determined by a vote of NHL general managers along with a panel of league executives and media members, with ballots cast at the conclusion of the playoffs’ first round.
Guerin, 55, made several significant moves to strengthen the Wild’s roster. In December, he pulled off a major trade to bring star defenseman Quinn Hughes over from the Vancouver Canucks. He also brought in forward Nico Sturm through free agency and acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko via trade during the offseason. Before the 2026 trade deadline, he added forwards Bobby Brink, Nick Foligno, and Michael McCarron, as well as defenseman Jeff Petry.
Among his most notable achievements was locking up star forward Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year contract extension worth $136 million, set to begin next season.
Guerin first took the reins as Minnesota’s general manager in August 2019 and is now heading into his fourth season serving as both GM and president of hockey operations for the franchise.
The Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award has been presented annually since the 2009-10 NHL season.
