Report: Wild granted permission to talk to Guerin about GM job

The Minnesota Wild have been granted permission to interview the Pittsburgh Penguins' Bill Guerin about their general manager position, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

Guerin was hired as the Penguins' player development coach in 2011 but was promoted to assistant GM to Jim Rutherford in 2014. The club has won two Stanley Cups during the former winger's time in its front office.

The Wild have also been granted permission to speak with Montreal Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby, according to Russo.

Peter Chiarelli and Ron Hextall have reportedly already had preliminary interviews with Minnesota, but the Wild are casting a wide net for potential candidates to fill their GM vacancy. According to Russo's report, the team may show or already has shown interest in Tom Fitzgerald, Chris Drury, Mark Hunter, Bill Zito, Basil McRae, Mike Futa, and Sean Burke for the job.

Minnesota fired former GM Paul Fenton on Tuesday after just one season at the helm.

The Wild finished last in the Central Division in 2018-19 with a 37-36-9 record. It marked the first time the club has missed the playoffs in six seasons.