I was once told never make promises because you can only disappoint, so sorry. I fibbed.

Didn’t mean to though, but here’s your morning excuse. The wireless in the hotel is lousy. This hotel is packed with so much media and nine team’s worth of personnel, I just think the network is jammed with laptops. So yesterday, and again this morning, getting into web sites feels like the ancient days of dial up.

So last night when I tried to blog, the admin to the blog just stood there trying, trying and trying to open, just laughing at me as I pounded the desk. I finally needed to go meet folks and never got a chance to blog. This should make Friday morning’s chat next to impossible, but I’ll figure it out.

Anyways, here’s the main story from today on the three Minnesotans that can go in the first round. As the story states, the Wild likes all three players, but there is a chance it takes none of them if the players aren’t next up on its list when it picks. I’ll write more about these kids and other potential Wild targets in tomorrow’s paper, or if space restrains that, tonight’s blog.

And here’s the notebook on a bit of a trade update and the fact that Boston is at least fielding offers for Phil Kessel, the former Gophers forward and last year’s 36-goal scorer at 21 years of age. 

The deal here is Kessel’s restricted, wants between $4.5 million and $5 million and the Bruins are already at $50 million next year with other things to get done. They’re at around $35 million for the following year with several other players to re-sign or sign, and if you look at the fact Marc Savard’s entering the last year of his contract and next summer they’ll probably have to extend Zdeno Chara, Kessel could be a cap casualty.

Now, they are still trying to sign Kessel, but if they do, they’d likely have to move some other players to squeeze him in. So this is very much up in the air. So I’m told by numerous league sources that GM Peter Chiarelli is at least fielding offers from teams and is considering moving Kessel by the Draft or this summer. I saw Kessel’s agent, Wade Arnott (Jason’s brother), about 32 times yesterday, so he’s roaming around and is expected to continue talking with Chiarelli.

But Kessel is four years from unrestricted free agency and again is entering that lofty second contract status, so I can’t imagine Arnott’s going to just do Boston a solid. So, there’s a very real chance he’s dealt, and if so, the Wild has at least shown vast interest, I’m told.

Because Kessel would be traded simply because Boston can’t afford him, the Bruins conversely would not want much money back in a trade. So picks and quality young players is what they’re looking for, so I’m told it would cost Minnesota the 12th pick and at least a top, top young kid. For the Wild, that’d mean Tyler Cuma or James Sheppard, but that does not mean Boston’s necessarily interested and even if the B’s are, it’s unknown what they’re being offered from other teams.

So this gets back to what I’ve been writing for the last couple weeks, and months for that matter – Chuck Fletcher doesn’t have a lot of tradeable assets because of the way things were done here in the past. I cannot make any clearer how much the Wild lacks assets compared to so many other teams in the NHL. I don’t want to keep pounding on the old regime here, but it really is unforgiveable how it didn’t value draft picks and how it just let free agent after free agent walk for squat.

OK, I promise not to mention it again (today at least).

For instance, it certainly appears as if the Wild is about to lose Marian Gaborik for nothing. I ran into a million NHL types yesterday who asked me about Gaborik, and each one said the same thing — losing an asset like that for nothing back is the type of thing that takes years to recover from. And now that the Vancouver Province reported he’s bought a house there — something I still have been unable to confirm, by the way, but the Province stands by the story and its sources — it probably makes trading Gaborik’s rights to anybody next to impossible.

Whether that story is true or not, what team’s going to give up even a skate sharpener for Gaborik’s rights when it’s been reported that it’s a foregone conclusion he signs in Vancouver?

Also, remember, the Wild might be into Kessel now, but if Chiarelli’s waiting until Friday, who knows what Fletcher dips his toes into by then? And right now Fletcher’s in on a lot of different things, from Heatley to countless other things (lots of rumors, but I only report what I know from sources, not what’s just floating around) to talking with Toronto, Edmonton, Colorado, Detroit, St. Louis and Philly about Josh Harding.

(I was told last night that the Blues are very interested in Harding, and few teams are as overstuffed with young assets as the Blues). So it’ll be interesting to see if Fletcher gets something substantial done with so few tradeable pieces to dangle.

I have an interesting story in tomorrow’s paper — again, unless there’s hard news today — about Fletcher giving colorful behind the scenes anecdotes of the orchestration of previous trades he’s taken part in.

Anyways, Internet permitting, I’ll be back this afternoon with more stuff. I really want to attend the Team Canada presser and offer some Jacques Lemaire stuff later, but it’s a half-hour away and the prospects media luncheon is an hour later back here. So I don’t know how that’ll work out.

(updated with Fletcher quotes)

Good Tuesday evening. Coming to you live from clear, crisp Vermont, where I will spend the night before heading up to Montreal in the morning.

By the way, very exciting day today. Know what happened on this very day 27 years ago?

Mrs. Joanne Boogaard gave birth to a strapping young lad that would ultimately become one of the NHL’s most intimidating 6-foot-7 and three-quarters-tall enforcers.

I talked with agent Ron Salcer after I landed this afternoon, and he said while the door’s not closed on the Wild with pending free agent Marian Gaborik, July 1 is “very enticing” and it’ll be awfully tough to get Gaborik to relinquish the rare opportunity of getting to speak to 29 other teams.

But Salcer said he’s had one conversation with Wild GM Chuck Fletcher but wouldn’t discuss if an offer’s been made. As I wrote last week, I’m pretty sure the Wild plans to offer Gaborik a five-year deal in the $7 million range. He turned down a 10-year, $78.5 million deal last fall because he didn’t want to commit to 10 years in Minnesota when he wasn’t comfortable with the direction of the team on and off the ice. That’s from well-placed sources.

Everything’s changed since with Jacques Lemaire and Doug Risebrough gone, which actually does intrigue Gaborik. However, with free agency eight days away, if Gaborik decides to stay here, as I’ve said over and over again on here, I would be beyond shocked.

Plus, as you can see at this link, the Vancouver Province’s Jason Botchford is reporting that Gaborik’s bought a house in Vancouver. I’ve talked to Jason and he’s citing unidentified sources but feels like he’s very much confirmed this. I haven’t been able to confirm and Salcer said he has no knowledge.

IF true, IF there’s been contact made with Gaborik and he has some sort of inside information that he’s going to sign with Vancouver that he is comfortable enough to buy a home there, it should be a very interesting couple weeks. Teams are not permitted to contact pending free agents until 11 a.m. CDT July 1. That is tampering — plain and simple.

And if you remember, the Wild accused the Canucks of tampering last year with Pavol Demitra before he signed a two-year, $8 million deal with Vancouver.

It was confirmed that Demitra was in Vancouver looking for homes well in advance of free agency, and his former agent is now the Canucks’ GM, Mike Gillis. The league looked into the situation at the Draft and eventually dropped the Wild’s charge around the time Demitra signed there.

If a team is ever found guilty of tampering, it can be fined lots of mula and draft picks.

Gaborik couldn’t be reached for comment, so I wasn’t able to ask him about the Province’s report.

But Salcer did speak to me.

Asked if Gaborik bought a home in Vancouver, Salcer said, “I have no knowledge of that at all. I know nothing about that. Nothing.”

Asked if he’s had conversations with Gillis, Salcer said, “None.”

Chuck Fletcher wouldn’t comment on the Gaborik situation, other than to say he feels it important to keep everything close to the vest at this point.

“There’s nothing I can comment on with the whole Gaborik situation,” Fletcher said. “I’m just going to work through things and we’ll see how it plays out.”

However, he continues to have trade talks with several teams and is hoping to make a move or two in advance of or at the Draft itself. He continues to be entrenched in Dany Heatley talks, which besides the assets, would cost any team a $4 million signing bonus July 1 and then a $4 million salary during the season.

Ottawa GM Bryan Murray has made clear that if the Sens pay that signing bonus, he’s staying there this season. So something should happen at the Draft.

But Fletcher’s involved in a number of things. He’s still definitely dangling Josh Harding. By the way, Niklas Backstrom’s no-trade doesn’t kick in until July 1, but Fletcher says he’s not entertaining trading him: “No. I haven’t. I mean, no. Nik’s our goalie. Nik’s our goalie for next year.”  

Fletcher’s keeping everything close to the vest.

“There’s always lots and lots of talk and things tend to happen at the Draft itself or a day or two before,” said Fletcher, who arrived in Montreal on Tuesday. “It’s certainly playing to form. You just don’t know. Everybody is talking to everybody, so you never know how serious things are.

“What I’m finding is you talk to a team one week and the next week things may have changed. So there’s things certainly I’m focused on and we’re having lots of conversations.”

Just returned from the Wild’s press conference to muse about the 10th Draft in franchise history.

The Wild owns the 12th pick in next Friday’s first round, then three fourths, a fifth, a sixth and a seventh Saturday. It has no second- or third-round pick currently, although Chuck Fletcher is trying to attain more picks. He’d like to make some moves in advance of the Draft with the hope of giving him more bullets in the chamber — either to use at the Draft or offer in trades.

I’ll write a lot more about the Draft in Sunday’s newspaper and starting middle of next week, but as I’ve been alluding to on here, there’s almost no way the Wild can move up in the Draft unless it gets a second and/or third and there’s a very good chance the Wild moves down.

When it gets to 12, if there’s three or four players still on the Wild’s list that the scouts all love, there’s a great chance Fletcher rolls the dice and moves down if it means still potentially getting one of those players and adding a player or second- or third-round pick. As I wrote a few days after Fletcher was hired, he feels draft picks are the lifeblood of franchises. He says “they’re currency,” and the more you have, the more flexibility you have to either take players with them or wheel and deal. Right now, he’s severely hamstrung.

As he said today, “Championships are won on the Draft floor.”

Like I said, I’ll write a lot more about the Draft next week. I had lunch last week with Tommy Thompson, and a great deal of the eventual story next week will be on the local Minnesotans — Jordan Schroeder, Nick Leddy and Zach Budish.

And I can promise you, whether you like it or not, the Wild will 100 percent go by their list. They will not be drafting a player based on where he’s from. If they get to 12, and No. 8 on their list is still available and Schroeder or Leddy is 9, they will definitely take 8. And that’s what every team in this league would do.

As for Marian Gaborik, Chuck Fletcher said he “intends to push the process forward next week so we try to get a sense from them” whether or not he’s willing to re-sign in Minnesota.

Fletcher won’t put a deadline on Gaborik, but he did say, he’s working the phones on trades, and a lot of what he does will depend on what he hears from Gaborik. There are things out there “that make sense for us,” he says.

If Gaborik isn’t re-signed by the Draft and a trade is available to make, Fletcher may just have to pull the trigger even if it means definitely closing the door on Gaborik.

“Gabby’s a great player, but at this point, we’re two weeks from free agency and we have to look at every avenue to improve our club,” Fletcher said.

As I’ve said over and over again on this blog, almost always when it gets to this point, the player tests the market – and understandably so. However, I have a sneaking suspicion Fletcher will make a bona fide contract offer to Gaborik next week.

Fletcher definitely loves Gaborik as a player and feels he’s worth the risk of a legit contract — probably a four or five-year deal in the $7 million range. Then, it’ll be up to Gaborik. And Fletcher would almost certainly prefer to re-sign Gaborik and give up no assets rather than trade for a marquee player and give up a boatload of assets.

So, it’s the morning after, and the new era of the Wild feels just a little more complete. GM and coach … in place.

Next up the Draft (and perhaps trades), and then free agency.

By the way, I’m not a Twitter guy yet, although you can follow this blog on there. But after seeing Wolves spokesman Kevin Love breaking the Kevin McHale news on Twitter just after midnight, I may have to scour the Twitter universe for Wild players.

First, here’s the coverage from Wednesday’s paper:

I wrote a Todd Richards profile in Tuesday’s paper, which quotes Richards’ mentor Claude Noel, his former teammate and agent Ben Hankinson and his former teammate Pat Micheletti.

So Wednesday’s main story was more focused on Richards and what he specifically sees from this team. Here’s that story

Here is the notebook on Tommy Thompson still working even with an uncertain job status, Fletcher talking about Gaborik and a note on the search for Richards’ coaching staff.

Here’s Jim Souhan’s column on Richards growing up in the State of Hockey.

After the news conference, Chuck Fletcher immediately turned his attention to the Draft, the trades that surround it and Marian Gaborik.

Fletcher planned to call agent Ron Salcer yesterday, and I’m not sure if that conversation took place. But Salcer is supposed to be back in the country by now. As you can see from Fletcher’s quotes in the paper, he still believes it’ll be a longshot to get Gaborik to stay this late in the game, but he’s certainly going to try.

During my lunch with Fletcher last Thursday, Fletcher said he was in the process on contacting every team in the league to discuss trades. Yesterday, he said that initial process was complete. He’s made some type of communication with all 29 teams.

Remember, Fletcher believes the trade market this summer will be greater than most summers because so many teams have cap issues. In fact, even after the first couple days of free agency is done, Fletcher is willing to go one player short for the first six weeks or so of the summer because he’s so sure you’re going to be able to commit highway robbery in a trade later in the summer.

The theory there: Since teams are allowed to go over the cap in the summer, teams will be forced to shed money, and even good, $3 million type players in late August and September. So Fletcher is willing to take that risk. But he also wants to try to make some moves at the Draft.

“I’ve had a lot of phone calls. I’ve initiated a lot of phone calls. I’ve had communications with every team in the league and probably spoken with the majority of them in terms of what their needs may be and what the interests are from us. That’ll intensify this week. There’s a lot of communication at the Draft, but I would like to maybe have a little more focused approach going into next week. You know, seeing where the fits will be.”

In other words, often times, trades are consummated right at the Draft or on Draft Day. Fletcher wants to have some frameworks in his mind going into Montreal week. So instead of dealing with a broad, 29-team frenzy next week, he’d prefer by Mondayish to have a more focused approach of a handful of teams he’s dealing with on specific ideas.

I’ll write more in specifics next week. Onward…

(more…)

I’ll be back on here later on this afternoon or early evening to discuss more in depth the Richards news conference, the nitty-gritty details of what was discussed in the post-press conference scrums (that’s where the most interesting news items or details always come from because that’s when we ask actual specifics) and a number of other items surrounding the Wild.

But I wanted to throw up the presser, as transcribed by Brian Stensaas (many thanks), and San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan, who did a conference call with myself and two other local writers. Remember, not only was McLellan Richard’s boss in San Jose, but he coached for a long time in the Wild organization in Houston. So he knows Koivu, Burns, Veilleux (likely gone), Boogaard, Bouchard, Harding from the Aeros and others like Schultz from training camp.

I also just got off the horn with Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who was nice enough to call me back between Cup celebrations. I’ll throw that up later.

Here is Todd McLellan:

(more…)

Hello from Gate 1 of Xcel Energy Center. The last time I was here, sitting in this exact same setup, Chuck Fletcher was introduced as the new Wild GM. Now he’s running the show, having just introduced Todd Richards as the new coach of the franchise.

It’s a standing room only crowd here in the lobby, with Wild defenseman Brent Burns among those without chairs. Owner Craig Leipold is also standing in the back - don’t you think that he could get a seat?

In introducing Richards, Fletcher said he was “proud and excited” to do so.

“He’s a proven winner and an ideal fit for this franchise going forward,” Fletcher continued,. “He’s earned my trust and I’m confident he’s the right person to coach this franchise at this time.”

Just like Fletcher, Richards received a No. 09 Wild jersey and team cap upon being introduced.

“I am truly, truly excited and honored - and very humbled,” Richards said.

Our own Michael Russo - having some microphone issues - has opened the questioning.

Richards said as a kid growing up on metro area ponds, the Crystal native never dreamed of being a coach.

“The type of hockey we want to play is up-tempo, fast,” Richards said of his style. “You can watch teams that were in the (Stanley Cup) Finals this year and they both play the same style. We believe we have that foundation here. Defenseman have to be part of the rush. Forecheck as a group of five.”

The mics are not working, and I’m in back by the plug-ins so it’s kind of tough to hear. But I believe the topic of Richards having no NHL head coaching experience has come up.

“He’s certainly paid his dues,” Fletcher said, noting Richards’ six years in the AHL. “Talent is the most important thing. How you communicate.”

Said Richards: “In this business as coach, I’m trying to sell something to the players. And I think they’ll buy it.”

Richards’ two sons, 13 and 11 years old both play hockey. He was asked about possibly bringing Minnesota players to the Wild roster.

“Minnesota is rich in hockey players,” he said. “Playing (college) at Minnesota, there was pride in having a roster of all Minnesotans. Us (the Wild) as an organization, it’s about the best fit for the organization. If it happens to be a Minnesota player, that’s great.”

Of course, the Marian Gaborik situation came up. He’s an unrestricted free agent as of July 1.

“It’ll be nice to have a coach to present as a part of our package,” Fletcher said.

Richards has not gotten to talk with current Wild assistants or other possible candidates yet.

A good quote from Richards about receiving the final offer from Fletcher: “It wasn’t like I hung up the phone and said, ‘I have to think about this for a half hour.’”

He had his fingers crossed hoping he would be the one for the job.

Well, that’s it. Russo and columnist Jim Souhan will have it all covered in tomorrow’s paper.

For those fortunate enough to watch and/or listen to the presser live - what are your early thoughts on the new coach?