Report: Todd Richards, Next Wild Coach

Change has come to the Minnesota Wild.

A new general manager -- Chuck Fletcher -- has arrived. Among the things he wants to do is up the tempo of play. No longer will this team be chided for playing a low-tempo, trapping, "boring" style of hockey.

The overhaul appears to be complete, as reports have Fletcher settled on his new coach.

Todd Richards is the opposite of what some fans have perceived the Wild organization to have sought out in the past. He's young (42), doesn't have a long pedigree in the NHL, and is from Minnesota.

(Many fans have criticized the Wild over recent years for ignoring prospects from Minnesota. The Wild's final roster this season included precisely zero players from the club's home state, even though Minnesota has always been fertile ground for NHL talent.)

Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporting superstar Michael Russo says Richards -- a former Minnesota Gopher captain -- could take over as Wild coach as soon as Tuesday.

Over the past month, I've talked to scores of people who know and coached with Richards. He is an aggressive, up-tempo coach that fits the style Fletcher wants to play. As one NHL assistant coach who worked with Richards just told me, he's going to coach the way he played. He won't be a sit-back and watch coach, the person said. He's going to activate his defense and go-go-go.

This should warm the hearts of Wild fans.

Don't expect to see Minnesota playing scores of 7-6 games, but the prospects of young forwards like James Sheppard and -- maybe -- Benoit Pouliot have gone up exponentially. In order to make this system work, Fletcher and Richards will need to commit to guys like this as their future core.

The next step in Fletcher's short tenure will be to figure out if the club has a prayer of re-signing Marian Gaborik, who will become a free agent July 1 unless the Wild wow him.

While the change in style will probably be tempting, it's hard to imagine Gaborik giving up the chance to let 29 other teams take a shot at his services.

Still, this hire is another step toward revitalizing what had become a stagnant Minnesota franchise.