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Wild Blog: 4 Takeaways From Chuck Fletcher's Year-End Press Conference

By Craig Schroepfer, @CDSWCCO

The 2015-16 NHL season came to an end for the Minnesota Wild last Sunday with a 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars.

Even though the Wild made the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, this year will go down as probably the most frustrating season in franchise history as the team finished the season with 87 points.

General Manager Chuck Fletcher addressed the media on Thursday and here are four takeaways from his end of the year press conference.

COACHING SEARCH

The main question on the mind of every Wild fan is who will the next head coach of the team be. It's one that Fletcher hasn't had much time to think about as he was just finishing up exit interviews with the players.

Fletcher did praise interim coach John Torchetti for taking over mid-season and guiding Minnesota into the playoffs, saying that Torchetti is a candidate for the head coaching position.

What Fletcher said he is looking for in a coach is someone who plays the game fast, has structure and will hold players accountable on the ice. Fletcher did say he is looking for a head coach with previous coaching experience, albeit not necessarily at the NHL level.

There is no timetable to hire a new coach although history indicates the next coach should be in place before the NHL Draft.

ROSTER

Another concern among Wild fans is the makeup of the roster that seemed to underachieve this season. Fletcher best described the roster as a mix of good hockey players who need to learn how to be better as a team.

The core players on the roster are in their early to mid-thirties and have already established what they can do at the NHL level. The rest of the roster consists of players who are 26 and under and have yet to reach their prime.

Fletcher likes the mix of players the Wild have on the blue line and says that Minnesota needs one or two more players at forward to take that next step. Whether Minnesota adds a center or a wing depends on where Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle end up playing next season.

Both players saw time at center and at wing this season. Fletcher said Granlund played his best hockey this season when he was on the wing and thinks that Granlund will score more goals if he stays there. Defensively though, Granlund is much better as a center.

As for Coyle, Fletcher compared his game to that of St. Louis forward David Backes who has played both center and wing throughout his NHL career.

Fletcher likes Coyle's game at wing as he is one of the stronger forwards along the wall, protecting the puck. As a center, Fletcher likes how Coyle uses his speed when carrying the puck up the ice.

Both players being versatile at forward is a nice luxury for Minnesota to have. Whether Granlund and Coyle are centers or wings will depend on who the new coach is.

YOUNG PLAYERS

One thing Fletcher seemed excited by is the group of prospects that will be making their way into the organization next season.

Mario Lucia, Sam Anas, and Adam Gilmour all had success at the collegiate level last season and will add quality depth at forward to the Wild's AHL affiliate in Iowa next season.

The prospect that Fletcher is most excited about though is Alex Tuch, who Minnesota chose in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Tuch is 6 feet, 4 inches, 225 pounds and played right wing at Boston College. Tuch has great hand-eye coordination, is willing to go to the net and shoots the puck as well as any player in the Wild organization.

Fletcher says the Wild haven't had a player like Alex Tuch enter their system in four years. Fletcher also thinks Tuch has a good chance to make the Wild roster next season.

SALARY CAP

This area is a little harder to predict as the Minnesota Wild won't know what the salary cap will be for the 2016-17 NHL season until right before the NHL draft.

Last Summer Fletcher signed Devan Dubnyk to a six year contract worth $26 million. As a result Fletcher had to buy out Matt Cooke, a player he admits he didn't want to buy out, just so the team could get under the cap.

This coming summer Fletcher will have more flexibility with the salary cap in terms of roster space and is very optimistic about being able to add a player to improve the hockey team.

This is an important off-season for the Minnesota Wild as the Central Division gets stronger every year. It's up to Fletcher to make sure this season was an aberration and not the start of a downward trend.

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