Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo appears to have retained his job, according to the Associated Press, though the Wild “were palpably disappointed as they met for the final time of the season on Saturday.”
Despite producing only the fourth post-season appearance in the franchise’s 12-year history, the franchise has many questions to ponder, according to the AP.
“The culture is starting to change and expectations are rising, but we still have a long way to go,” center Matt Cullen said.
A 5-8-1 record in April put coach Yeo’s status in question. But the 39-year-old said his conversation with general manager Chuck Fletcher about his job was brief but reassuring. The two of them appeared together at a season-ending news conference at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.
“He’s our coach,” Fletcher said, later adding: “If you never give guys a chance to get better, you can’t just keep churning every year or two with players and staff. You’ve got to have some semblance of continuity.”
What about Cullen, 36? And Goalie Niklas Backstrom, who is 35? Each will be an unrestricted free agent. So is forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who is 29 but hasn’t regained his form after a concussion, according to the AP. Restricted free agents include hard-hitting wing Cal Clutterbuck and defensemen Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella and Justin Falk,.
