Russo is flying now, so we post this as a favor to him:

Here’s the breakdown of the players who received qualifying offers from the Wild:

C Kyle Brodziak
LW Robbie Earl
G Josh Harding
RW Danny Irmen
LW Benoit Pouliot
D Clayton Stoner

And here’s the list of those who didn’t get offers and now become unrestricted free agents who can shop for a team starting July 1:

D Paul Albers
LW Riley Emmerson
LW Dan Fritsche
LW Peter Olvecky

Fritsche was probably the player most expected would be cut loose, based on the acquisition of Brodziak at the draft. So no big surprise there.

About Pouliot, Fletcher said: “We’re excited to see where he is come training camp. He’s had his ups and downs along the road, but (new coach) Todd Richards is excited about seeing him in camp. We want to see if he can push his career forward, take the next step. It’s up to him, but we want to give him that opportunity.”

He said not qualifying Fritsche and Olecky was a roster “flexibility” issue. About Olvecky, Fletcher said making him a qualifying offer might possibly have “made him eligible for a one-way contract. We wanted to keep the option open of a two-way contract.” So, by not qualifying him, Fletcher said he still held out hope that he could reach agreement on a two-way deal and keep Olvecky in the fold. Fletcher said it was important for the franchise to have as much financial flexibility as possible heading into free agency.

The NHL free agency period opens on Wednesday at 11 a.m., so stay tuned to this site for constant updates.

Russo will be back on later this afternoon to update this post.

The Wild just traded the 99th and 133rd pick to Edmonton for center Kyle Brodziak and the 161st.  He’s a right-handed center who’s solid in the faceoff circle. Oil, I’m told, thought he’d be a third-line center after the year he had two years ago with Glencross and Stortini the last month-and-a-half, but he played mostly on the fourth line last year.

He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He played for Todd Richards in  Wilkes-Barre.

The Wild just took Matthew Hackett, the top-ranked goalie in the draft, at 77th overall. He plays at Plymouth of the OHL. Hackett is the nephew of former NHLer Jeff Hackett, who was just fired as the Avs’ goalie coach when Tony Granato was fired.

In the fourth round, the Wild took left wing Kris Foucault, a teammate of Carson McMillan’s with the Calgary Hitman at 103 overall.

At 116, the Wild took Shattuck St. Mary’s Alexander Fallstrom, from Sweden. He was senior captain there and a power forward.

At 163, the Wild took Jere Sallinen out of Finland, then at 182ns (first pick of seventh round), the Wild took future Gopher Erik Haula, from Shattuck, who will play next year with the USHL Omaha Lancers.

Good morning back in the Cities. Coming to you from the Draft risers, and I’m reminded by a hilarious line from former Wild assistant GM Tom Lynn last night.

“I’ve been a sportswriter for two days, and I’ve already gained four pounds and can’t roll out of bed in the morning.”

Welcome to our unhealthy lifestyle, Mr. Lynn, who shouldn’t take long to get back on the other side of the barricade.

Here is his blog today on the Hockey News’ web site.

I am told Wild GM Chuck Fletcher will be trying very hard to gain a second-round pick this morning — perhaps again dangling Josh Harding (Edmonton is at 40). He’s also now got a third-round pick and three fourths. Wild also would like to add a goalie today to its depth chart.

I am also told the Wild IS NOT out of the Dany Heatley sweepstakes. Ottawa still wants to trade him by July 1 and if the Senators likely get off their demand of Brent Burns, there’s a possibility.

The day started off with the Florida Panthers trading Jay Bouwmeester’s rights to Calgary for Jordon Leopold’s rights and a third. 

Edina’s Zach Budish went to Nashville at No. 41. At least the Preds didn’t rub the Wild’s nose in it by taking Budish at 41 — the pick they got from Minnesota in Zidlicky trade. Wild wanted to somehow get Budish today.

Little Falls’ Ben Hanowski just went 63rd (second pick in the third round) to Pittsburgh.

According to multiple NHL sources, San Jose Sharks assistant coach Todd Richards will become the second Wild coach in history. A news conference to “introduce the Wild’s new head coach” will  be made by new GM Chuck Fletcher on Tuesday at noon at Gate 1 of Xcel Energy Center.

Sources say Richards will succeed Jacques Lemaire, who resigned after the 2008-09 season.

Richards, 42, a native of Crystal, Minn., and a former Gophers defenseman and captain, spent last season in San Jose as Todd McLellan’s assistant. This came after two seasons as the head coach with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He brought the Baby Pens to the Calder Cup Finals in his final season. That’s where he was hired by and became tight with then-Penguins assistant GM and Wilkes-Barre GM Chuck Fletcher.

Richards spent four seasons as an assistant in Milwaukee. The Admirals won one Calder Cup and went to the Finals another year during his tenure.

He won two WCHA titles with the Gophers as a player, a 1991 Calder Cup with Springfield, a 2001 Turner Cup with Orlando (IHL) and a 2002 Swiss-B League title with Servette Geneve. He was the IHL Defenseman of the Year in 1993-94 while playing in Las Vegas and used to be the U’s assists-record holder. His brother, Travis, also used to be a Gophers captain.

Todd’s got a track record of winning everywhere he’s been as a player and coach.

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.

There may be some concern out there that Richards has only been in the NHL for a year as a coach, but remember, you need to start somewhere and there are tons of successful coaches in the NHL that had limited experience in the big league before they got here — guys like Mike Babcock, Bruce Boudreau and most recently Dan Bylsma.

Here is Richards’ bio on the San Jose Sharks’ web site.

Also, assistant GM Tom Lynn has been fired. I felt this was coming, especially after talking with GM Chuck Fletcher a few weeks ago and he made it a point to make clear to me he never ever told Lynn or Tommy Thompson they were staying.

More on this later, including whom I think has a good chance of replacing Lynn.

“We thank Tom Lynn for all his service and contributions to the Wild organization and wish Tom and his family future success,” said Fletcher in a statement.

Aloha from the North Shore of Oahu.

It’s been 25 hours since Chuck Fletcher was officially introduced as the Wild GM, and NHL sources say he already has permission to speak to the one coaching candidate I anticipate will be a heavy favorite — San Jose Sharks assistant coach Todd Richards.

As you’ll see from this San Jose Mercury News blog by David Pollak, a Sharks’ spokesman has confirmed to David that the Sharks have given two teams permission to speak to the former Gophers star. Only the Wild, Edmonton and Calgary are without coaches, and I’ve confirmed through a league source that the Wild is one of the two. 

Lots of respect between Fletcher and Richards. Fletcher originally hired him in Wilkes-Barre. Yesterday morning, I talked to Penguins GM Ray Shero about Richards, and not only did he give him a glowing recommendation, he talked a lot about the skills Richards has and they’re probably not so coincidentally some of the ones Fletcher said he wants as the next Wild coach.

Shero on Richards: “I have a great deal of respect for Todd Richards. He was one of my first hires when I came here. [With Nashville], he was one of my first hires in Milwaukee as an assistant coach. I got to work closely with Todd for a number of years. When I came here, I had already hired Chuck. While I knew that Todd was my guy, Chuck had all the responsibilities of running our farm team in Wilkes-Barre. Part of that was hiring a coach. I told Chuck I really believe Todd was a guy worth talking to, but having said that, it’s your decision. Chuck went through a real good list of candidates – maybe five, six, seven people to interview and came back and said Todd is the most qualified and best fit. So it was his decision at the end. Our organization has a lot of respect for Todd – his intellect, his communication skills, his passion for the game, he pushes the pace. One of the first things I heard back on Todd from Chuck was that our pregame skate was harder than some team’s practices. He really pushes the pace and makes players better. … He had the opportunity to move on to San Jose. It was a fantastic decision for him. This job in San Jose I believe really prepared him to being around the pro game with the fantastic coaching staff they have in San Jose. He’ll be a great head coach in the NHL, I believe, whoever will give him that opportunity. He’s got the right age, he’s got the right experience. I’m a big Todd Richards fan. He’ll be a great fit for someone.”

Mahalo!

Aloha from Hawaii Gate 1 of Xcel Energy Center where it’s just been made official that Chuck Fletcher is the Wild’s new general manager.

Also, if you haven’t seen it, make sure to scroll to Chip’s previous blog about Tom Lynn staying on as an assistant GM.

We’ve got a good crowd out here in the lobby. Among the masses, I’ve spotted assistant coach Matt Shaw, goalie Niklas Backstrom, defenseman Brent Burns (his left arm in a sling) and a handful of other employees.

Prior to any remarks, Fletcher was presented a #09 team jersey after it was said a “new chapter, a new era” has begun for the team.

“What was good enough yesterday is not necessarily good enough today,” owner Craig Leipold said. He then called Fletcher the “obvious choice” for the job.

Here’s some of what Fletcher had to say this afternoon:

• On a coaching timeline, it is his first priority right now before free agency. He wants a coach with communication skills, leadership skills and someone who is “demanding but fair.” He also expressed that “experience is nice but not necessary.” He hopes to have someone in place by the draft, which is late next month.
• He affirmed that he wants a team with an “up-tempo, aggressive, fast style.” But the trap style is something every team uses, so Fletcher doesn not plan to completely eliminate it from here.
• Fletcher plans to reach out to pending free agent Marian Gaborik and agent Ron Salcer “in the near future.”
• He is open minded about what kind of front office and coaching staff he will hire, and plans to speak to every member.
• On his philosophy of putting the best team on the ice, Fletcher says it’s “drafting and developing” players, calling draft picks “gold to me.” Better drafts lead to a deeper system which leads to, in time, better trades.
• On managing expectations: “This has been my dream since realizing I was a really bad hockey player at age 8 … This was my way into the NHL … I’m ready for it, I’m not daunted by it at all.”

Greetings from Honolulu.
A new era for the Wild begins Friday.
According to NHL sources, the Star Tribune has learned that the Wild has agreed to terms with Pittsburgh Penguins assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher to replace Doug Risebrough, who was fired April 16.
An announcement is expected Friday.
Fletcher could not be reached for comment and the Wild would not confirm. The Wild would prefer not to conflict with the Wolves’ announcement, but with the Penguins playing tonight and Saturday, this had to be the timing.
Fletcher, 41, the son of longtime NHL exec Cliff Fletcher, has been around the sport since he was a child. He’s got 16 years of experience with Florida, Anaheim and Pittsburgh, and he’s only 41, working alongside some of the NHL’s most respected executives — Bill Torrey, Bobby Clarke, Bryan Murray, Brian Burke and now Ray Shero.
He’s a rarity because he negotiates contracts, like the $58 million Pavel Bure deal in Florida, and helps scout and draft players. It’s a team effort, obviously, but some of the best include Ed Jovanovski, Rob Niedermayer, Rhett Warrener, Kristian Huselius, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Joffrey Lupul and Bobby Ryan.
Fletcher played a huge part in the Panthers’ 1993 expansion draft that turned into the core (John Vanbiesbrouck, Scott Mellanby, Brian Skrudland, Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Lindsay the most notables) of Florida’s 1996 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
He’s also been to the Finals with Anaheim and Pittsburgh.
“It’s his time to be a GM,” Murray, now Ottawa’s GM, told the Star Tribune earlier this month. “He’s an intelligent guy – I used to say young guy, but he’s getting up there now. The most important thing to being a GM is your people skills, and he’s real classy in that regard and has earned the respect of the players because of his treatment of them.
“It’s so important to have a guy who knows how to negotiate contracts, and he’s such a strong candidate for Minnesota also because he understands what it takes to play in this league.”

More later