Torchetti 'a serious candidate' for Wild's permanent head coaching position

John Torchetti could have a leg up on the competition.

Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters Thursday that the interim boss, after his work in recovering a postseason berth, has emerged as a "very serious candidate" for the full-time role

"Torchetti was able to push and pull this team into a playoff position," Fletcher said.

The former Iowa Wild boss inherited Mike Yeo's floundering roster in mid-February, taking a team that lost 13 of the 14 games that preceded his arrival, and performing above the .500 mark the rest of the way.

Torchetti sparked some of the younger members of the Wild, namely Nino Niederreiter, Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, and Matt Dumba. But significant injuries and ultimately a general scoring dearth resulted in the club backing into the postseason with 87 points before bowing out to the top-seeded Dallas Stars in six games.