Bill Guerin won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for the first time during the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft, capping a season in which the Minnesota Wild reached 104 points and won a first-round playoff series. The award gives the Wild their first GM honor since the trophy began in the 2009-10 season.
He was surprised with the award on Thursday at a restaurant on Lake Minnetonka, where his wife, Kara, his children and his mom joined the presentation. Guerin later said, “You don’t achieve things like this on your own, ever. It does take a village. It takes a strong family.”
Quinn Hughes and 104 points
The Wild finished 46-24-12 and tied that work to a roster built for immediate results. On Dec. 12, they acquired Quinn Hughes in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, and he gave them 53 points in 48 regular-season games, including five goals and 48 assists.
Hughes averaged 27:54 of ice time and set a Wild record for assists and points in a season by a defenseman. That production sat alongside a team total of 104 points, the seventh best record in the NHL, and a first-round series win against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kaprizov and the roster moves
Guerin’s season also included an eight-year, $136 million contract for Kirill Kaprizov before the season, a deal that begins next season and carries a $17 million average annual value. Last offseason, he added Vladimir Tarasenko in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings on June 30, 2025, then signed Nico Sturm as a free agent on July 1.
Before the NHL Trade Deadline, he also brought in Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers, Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers and Nick Foligno from the Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild were built through moves across the lineup, not one headline transaction.
MacFarland and the vote
The voting showed how narrow the race was. Chris MacFarland finished second with 123 points, had the most first-place votes with 20 and appeared on 31 ballots, while Guerin collected 131 voting points and was named on 37 of 40 ballots as a top-three selection. Pat Verbeek was the other finalist.
Guerin was also GM for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where Team USA won gold in the men’s tournament for the first time since 1980. For the Wild, the award now sits on top of a season that brought a playoff series win, a 104-point finish and the franchise’s first GM of the Year recognition.
