'He's got passion and compassion': Wild coach Dean Evason gets three-year contract extension

Wild coach Dean Evason wasn't the only one to secure a new three-year deal.

So did everyone on his staff.

The team announced all the contract extensions on Thursday, and that's exactly how Evason preferred it.

"It's a team-first mentality here, and a lot of it's because of what Dean's brought to the table," General Manager Bill Guerin said. "He has a ton of respect for his staff and wanted to do it all on the same day because he didn't want to put himself in front of anybody."

This we-before-me approach has become Evason's calling card since he was promoted from an assistant two seasons ago, and it's a leadership style that's captured on and off the ice.

In the locker room, the microphone gets passed around among the coaches and players. Between the boards, chemistry, cohesiveness and depth have boosted the Wild as much as the aggressive, up-tempo brand of hockey Evason has elicited from the team.

Those results have made a statement: a 62-29-7 record with Evason at the helm to go along with back-to-back playoff appearances.

Overall, since Evason took over, the Wild ranks fourth in the NHL in goals scored (332) and tied for fourth in wins. The team has also assembled four winning streaks of at least five games under his guidance.

Assistants Darby Hendrickson, Brett McLean and Bob Woods, goaltending coach Frederic Chabot and video coaches T.J. Jindra and Jonas Plumb are also sticking around after they all received three-year deals.

"I've got full confidence in Dean and the entire staff," Guerin said. "I think they've proven that they're a very capable staff and all good coaches. I think the turnaround of our team is evident of that. I'm very confident in this group."

Guerin has known for "awhile" that he wanted to bring back Evason, who was in the final season of the two-year deal he landed when the Wild removed his interim tag in July 2020.

Evason, 57, replaced the fired Bruce Boudreau in February of that year, and Guerin planned to conduct a coaching staff search. But every attribute he was looking for, Evason had.

An NHL player for 13 seasons who went on to coach in juniors and the minors, Evason finished second last season in voting for the Jack Adams Award, which recognizes the NHL's top coach. The Wild recorded the highest point percentage (.670) in franchise history after going 35-16-5 in Evason's first full season in charge.

"A lot of stuff falls on the head coach and the general manager, but we have so much help from so many people," said Evason, who shared the news with his family Wednesday evening. "Our staff, the assistant coaches, are absolutely phenomenal. I know that we are as good a staff as any in the league. I know we work extremely hard, but I know we work right, as well. We work for each other, and a team-first mentality is in our room and it filters to our players."

Another of Evason's trademarks, communication, is why he believes this has been a successful partnership, and Guerin identified that as a strength of Evason's.

"As a player, you just want to know what's going on," Guerin said. "You want to know your position. You want to know where you stand in the team, and Dean is always very upfront with the guys.

"… I like Dean's fire. I like his passion. It's kind of funny, but he's got passion and compassion. So there's a lot to like about what Dean brings to the table."

Now, this regime will have the chance to continue the momentum that's already in motion.

"We're excited," Evason said. "We're all excited about moving forward. We know the organization has taken steps forward. But as we've talked about so many times before, success is the Stanley Cup, right? Yeah, you can have little steps along the way, which we've had a couple little steps, but we haven't taken any big steps yet.

"That's our goal, is to win the Stanley Cup. If it's not, then what are we doing here? That's what we want to accomplish. Hopefully we're on our way to do that."