Sarah McLellan

1 month ago | startribune.com | Sarah McLellan

Since he was hired as general manager, Bill Guerin has wanted to build the Wild into a championship team. Almost six years on the job, Guerin finally has his best chance to do that. "This is the first time we've had real flexibility in a long, long time," he said, "and we're going to do our best to add to this team and to make it better." The long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel is here.

1 month ago | startribune.com | Sarah McLellan

The reality that he's retired didn't dawn on Marc-Andre Fleury during one last curtain call at Xcel Energy Center after the Wild were eliminated from the playoffs to officially end the goaltender's NHL career. He waved to the crowd Thursday night and then ducked off ice, Fleury not wanting to get emotional and prolong his final farewell after a season full of goodbyes. On the drive home, he thought about how lucky he was to play so long and to make his childhood dream come true.

1 month ago | startribune.com | Sarah McLellan

When he started his pro career in Sweden as a teenager, Filip Gustavsson teamed up with a more experienced goaltender. "An older guy that was kind of on his way out," Gustavsson recalled. "He wants the new guys to come up and help the team win." That was the only time Gustavsson's dynamic with the other goalie he worked alongside was more camaraderie than competition ... until he joined Marc-Andre Fleury on the Wild.

1 month ago | startribune.com | Sarah McLellan

By Sarah McLellan "Probably," he said about whether he wants to get a deal done before the season starts. "I don't know. We'll see.""No, to be honest with you, I don't interfere," Zuccarello said. "I'm his friend. If he needs my opinion on something, I'll give it to him as a friend. I don't interfere with his contracts or where he should be. "He's a smart kid and he wants to win, and if he feels like he can do that here, it's here. So, at the end of the day, it's not up to me where he plays.

1 month ago | startribune.com | Sarah McLellan

Marco Rossi started the season as the Wild 's top center and finished it as a fourth-liner, a change in responsibilities that has the 23-year-old forward unsure of what his role with the team is going into the future. "I don't know," Rossi said. "We'll see." Rossi addressed his situation Sunday at Xcel Energy Center, where the Wild debriefed after being eliminated from the playoffs Thursday by Vegas in six games. He called his meeting a "good talk" with both sides being honest.