General Wild management

The announcement came out yesterday, but there wasn't confirmation until today when the Wild held a press conference. But, for anyone that hasn't been following, the Minnesota Wild have hired their new general manager, only the second in the team's existence. And they hired someone who will dramatically change the team, quite possibly for the better.

The last few weeks, there were a number of different candidates coming through St. Paul, each bringing their own perspective and goals to Wild owner Craig Leipold. At the end of everything, only one candidate received a second interview, and, consequently, a job offer. He'll be leaving his present team, even though they're still busy at this time of year.

For anyone that's been following even a little bit, it didn't come as any surprise that Leipold decided to hire Chuck Fletcher, (now the former) assistant general manager from Pittsburgh. Fletcher has basically spent his life around hockey and the NHL, and has had a hand in building teams into contenders. From assembling the Florida Panther team that won the Cup in the 90's to helping put together the current Pittsburgh Penguins team that has found itself two wins away from back-to-back Stanley Cup finals, Fletcher has shown great vision in his moves, and played a large hand in putting together contracts for some of the more notable players to come through the teams he worked with.

Fletcher also brings a desire to see a more offense-oriented game to the Wild. Don't expect the trap to go away, but players like Mikko Koivu, Cal Clutterbuck, and James Sheppard could find themselves being unleashed a bit more in the offensive zone, getting to show what they can do. Want proof? Watch the Penguins play, and think of what the Wild could do with a similar system.

So what's next for the Wild, and for Fletcher? Well, Fletcher has tapped his assistant GM, keeping Tom Lynn in that position. That move could be very good, as Lynn is familiar with the organization and didn't always agree with Doug Risebrough. The move could also backfire, but Fletcher is more hands-on with contracts than Risebrough ever was, so it shouldn't rest solely with Lynn. The obvious next step is finding a coach. With the way that Dan Bylsma has performed in Pittsburgh, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Wild look to a young coach, and they will want to move relatively quickly on that, with the draft looming. The other big move will be trying to hammer out something with Marian Gaborik. The odds of resigning Gaborik before free agency are slim, but the star winger could be intrigued by the new management.

Overall, though, the Wild went out and find the best possible candidate to take over the franchise, and the next few seasons should prove to be very interesting in Minnesota.