The Minnesota Wild have brought in another familiar name to join Paul Fenton in the front office, as they announced the hiring of Tom Kurvers as an Assistant General Manager. Kurvers had been working with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the past decade, prior to which he was with the then Phoenix Coyotes organization.
Kurvers, 55, suited up for 659 regular season games in the NHL during an 11-year playing career, and was famously involved in a trade that netted the New Jersey Devils a pick that ended up being Scott Niedermayer. Kurvers would play just 89 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs who gave up the pick, before moving on to play for three more teams before the end of his career. In all, Kurvers would win a Stanley Cup, a Hobey Baker Award and even a Japan Ice Hockey League championship at the very end of his career. He’s familiar with winning, and will try to bring that knowledge back to the Wild.
Minnesota is a team to watch this summer as they try to fix a roster that has been good for quite a while, but never able to really compete in the Western Conference playoffs. Key members of their core are starting to hit the back portion of their careers, and they’ve lost plenty of young talent in recent years. Fenton will bring his well-regarded scouting and development ability and lean on Kurvers to help him turn things around, or at least get them over the hump to really contend for a Stanley Cup championship.