Bill Guerin is ready to get down to business as the new general manager of the Minnesota Wild.

The 48-year-old was officially introduced as Minnesota's fourth GM in franchise history Thursday and conceded he's going to be a busy man with training camp opening in less than a month.

"We have a lot of work to do, but there's a ton of potential and I'm extremely excited to get to work," Guerin said, according to NHL.com's Jessi Pierce. "There's everything here to win. Everything. I've seen it as a player, I've seen it in management as far as what it takes to build a winner. ... Everything is in place.

"This is a good team. My job is to make it better, and we are going to build."

Minnesota finished last in the Central Division in 2018-19. It marked the first time the club has missed the playoffs in six seasons and resulted in the firing of former GM Paul Fenton after only one year at the helm.

Guerin didn't lay out a full-staged plan on how he'll revitalize the Wild but did say he'll rely heavily on analytics - something Fenton admitted to not being fully on board with after he was hired in 2018.

"I'm all-in with it. ... It's another way to look at what's going on," Guerin said, according to Michael Rand of the Star Tribune. "The more information you can have, the better. We were extremely big on it in Pittsburgh."

Guerin was hired by the Penguins as their player development coach in 2011 and was promoted to assistant GM in 2014. He won two Stanley Cups while with Pittsburgh's front office and also won two rings as a player during his 18-year career.

Minnesota's 2019-20 roster is almost entirely in shape, save for restricted free agent Kevin Fiala. Guerin has $7.9 million in available cap space to get a deal done, according to Cap Friendly.

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The Calgary Flames have invited free-agent defenseman Andrew MacDonald to training camp on a professional tryout agreement, the team announced Thursday.

MacDonald, 32, signed a six-year, $30-million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of the 2014-15 season, but the Flyers bought him out in June with one year remaining on the deal.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving recently expressed interest in acquiring another defenseman after 20-year-old rearguard Juuso Valimaki tore his ACL during an August training session.

MacDonald recorded nine assists and averaged 16:24 of ice time over 47 contests with the Flyers last season. The veteran blue-liner has tallied 28 goals and 161 points in 586 career contests.

The Flames have $7.76 million in projected cap space with restricted free-agent forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane in need of new contracts, according to CapFriendly.

Calgary bought out the final season of defenseman Michael Stone's contract earlier in August.

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Brock Boeser's agent, Ben Hankinson, is seeking a four-year contract with an average annual value of $7 million for his client, reports The Province's Ben Kuzma.

The Vancouver Canucks forward is one of several high-profile restricted free agents who remain unsigned as NHL training camps draw near.

Aside from Sebastian Aho, who inked a five-year, $42.27-million deal with Carolina after the Hurricanes matched an offer sheet from the Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier is arguably the most significant RFA to come off the market so far. Meier signed a four-year, $24-million contract July 1 and, along with unsigned Winnipeg Jets restricted free agent Kyle Connor, has been used as a comparable in negotiations between Boeser's camp and the Canucks.

"Those are some of the names we've used," general manager Jim Benning said of Meier and Connor. "They (Boeser's camp) have been reasonable and we're continuing to talk to get to some common ground. I'm hopeful to get something done before camp, but we're not there yet."

While Meier's $6-million AAV would be reasonable for the Canucks, Benning has no intention of handing out a similarly structured contract. The base salary in the final year of Meier's contract is $10 million, setting him up for a $10-million qualifying offer as a restricted free agent when it expires. Boeser would also be an RFA after a four-year deal.

"That scares me a bit," Benning said.

Vancouver prefers a salary structure more closely resembling that of Bo Horvat's contract, Kuzma adds. The Canucks pivot signed a six-year pact with an average annual value of $5.5 million shortly before training camp opened in 2017. Horvat's deal does not include any signing bonuses and he'll earn a base salary of just $4.45 million in the final year of the contract.

"We're looking at all of our options and are talking what long and short deals look like," Benning said.

Boeser, 22, scored 26 goals and added 30 assists in 69 games for the Canucks last season. Meier had 30 goals and 36 assists in 78 games, while Connor potted 34 tallies and 32 helpers in 82 contests.

The Canucks have just over $5 million in projected cap space with 24 players signed, according to CapFriendly. They could create additional cap space by placing Antoine Roussel on long-term injured reserve and optioning players to the minors.

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Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLennan said he'll begin preliminary extension talks with franchise icons Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby upon returning to the D.C. area in early September

"That's coming up here," MacLellan told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "I've checked in with both. It might happen the beginning of September, depending on the timing of me getting back. But it will happen right away (after he returns). We've got to talk and give both players what we're thinking, get their feelings on the situation and play it out from there."

"It will depend on the conversations we have, on how they want to proceed and what they think is best for everybody," he added.

Backstrom (31) and Holtby (29) are both entering the final season of their contracts, and they're scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next July. Backstrom signed a 10-year, $67-million deal with the Caps in 2010 - before the league changed its rules regarding max contract lengths - while Hotlby inked a five-year pact worth $30.5 million in 2015.

Both players have spent their entire careers with Washington, playing significant roles during the most successful era in Capitals history. Over the last five years, the club has won four division titles, two Presidents' Trophies, and a Stanley Cup.

Backstrom was drafted fourth overall in 2006, and he's spent 12 years as Alex Ovechkin's sidekick. The Swedish pivot has often flown under the radar throughout his career, but he's recorded 873 points in 895 regular-season games, adding 106 more over 123 playoff contests.

Holtby fully took over the Caps' starting goaltender job during the 2014-15 season, and he's gone on to post a 197-77-32 record since then along with a .918 save percentage. He's been awarded the Vezina Trophy, too, and received two All-Star nominations.

Washington has roughly $62 million committed to its 2020-21 roster, according to Cap Friendly, and the salary cap will likely increase from this upcoming season's $81.5 million.

In addition to Backstrom and Holtby, Chandler Stephenson, Christian Djoos, and Jonas Siegenthaler will also be playing on expiring contracts this season.

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The New York Islanders have come to terms with free agent center Derick Brassard on a one-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Financial details of the contract are unknown at this point.

More to come.

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The Minnesota Wild have hired former NHL star Bill Guerin as their fourth general manager in franchise history, the team announced Wednesday.

"I am thrilled to announce we have hired Bill Guerin, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, as general manager of the Minnesota Wild," team owner Craig Leipold said. "Bill has been a winner throughout his hockey career and I am extremely pleased to be able to add his experience to our organization and The State of Hockey."

Guerin, 48, could be introduced as soon as Thursday, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

He replaces Paul Fenton, who was fired July 30 after one campaign. The Wild missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012 under Fenton's watch.

Minnesota interviewed Guerin last season before ultimately hiring Fenton.

Leipold and president Matt Majka led the search and were assisted by Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano, who spent three seasons playing alongside Guerin with the Dallas Stars and the U.S. national team.

Guerin was hired by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011 as a player development coach. He was promoted to assistant general manager in 2014 and captured back-to-back Stanley Cups with the club in 2016 and 2017.

During his playing career, Guerin tallied 429 goals and 856 points over 1,239 career games and captured two Stanley Cups. The Worcester, Mass., native was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

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