Minnesota - The Wild made official their commitment to coach Mike Yeo, holding a press conference Friday at Xcel Energy Center to announce the three-year contract extension Yeo signed May 31. Yeo, who at 40 years old is the youngest coach in the NHL, guided the Wild this season to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in franchise history, the first such trip since 2003. The original three-year contract Yeo signed when he was named the third coach in Wild history June 17, 2011, was set to expire at the end of this month. Fletcher, who just completed his fifth season as Minnesota's GM, said he was impressed with how Yeo handled adversity over the course of the season, particularly with the high number of young players in Minnesota's lineup and constant question marks in goal, where because of injuries the Wild were forced to start five different goaltenders. Four started at least 11 games and none more than 26. Josh Harding had a team-high 26 starts but didn't play after Dec. 31 due to issues related to his battle with multiple sclerosis. Shortly after, veteran goalie Niklas Backstrom also was lost for the season. Forced to go with a combination of rookie Darcy Kuemper and trade-deadline acquisition Ilya Bryzgalov, the Wild finished fourth in the Central Division with a 43-27-12 record and earned the Western Conference's first wild-card berth. For Yeo, who came to the Wild after one season as coach of the team's American Hockey League team (then the Houston Aeros) and five years as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the new deal provides a pay raise and some sought-after security after coaching all the way through the final year of his contract. Yeo has a 104-82-26 record in the regular season and is 7-9 in the playoffs. After establishing an identity and creating a culture, Yeo said the challenge now is to develop a winning mindset. Fletcher also provided updates on several players Friday. Backstrom underwent successful core muscle surgery March 25, and Fletcher said the goalie's rehabilitation is going well. Backstrom is feeling better than at any point during the season, according to Fletcher, and he's expected to put pads on next month. Harding, who skated with the team informally during the playoffs, also is reported to be doing well. Harding was 18-7-3 this season with a career-best 1.65 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and three shutouts. Fletcher also said defenseman Keith Ballard had sports hernia surgery after the season and is recovering well.
Calgary - Flames general manager Brad Treliving added to his staff Friday, hiring longtime Hockey Canada executive Brad Pascall as assistant general manager and promoting special assistant to the GM Craig Conroy to assistant general manager. Pascall had been vice president of hockey operations/national teams since July 2010. He also served on Canada's national men's team management group. He had been Hockey Canada's senior director of men's national teams since 2006, including serving in an executive role with Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Pascall played significant roles building Canada's teams for the IIHF World Junior Championship from 2007-09. Conroy is entering his fifth season in the Flames front office, the past three as special adviser to the GM. The Flames added Troy Crowder to their player development staff. Crowder played 150 NHL games in six seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks.
New Jersey - Goaltender Cory Schneider said he has had talks with the team about a new contract, but first wants to be assured he will be the No. 1 goalie, according to The Star-Ledger. Schneider has one more season left on his contract and can become an unrestricted free agent after 2014-15. Schneider, 28, went 16-15-12 in 45 games this season, his first with the Devils, and was third in the NHL with a 1.97 goals-against average. He said he would like to play in at least 60 per season going forward. He said his future is in no way tied to Martin Brodeur. The 42-year-old franchise icon and NHL all-time leader in games played, wins and shutouts will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. Brodeur played 39 games this season, going 19-14-6 with a 2.51 GAA.
Columbus - Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has prioritized his offseason to-do list, and at the top is a new contract for forward Ryan Johansen. Johansen, the fourth pick of the 2010 NHL Draft led the Blue Jackets with 33 goals and 63 points. He can become a restricted free agent this summer, but Kekalainen said he is hoping to avoid that. Johansen, 21, had two goals and four assists in six Stanley Cup Playoff games. In parts of two previous NHL seasons, Johansen had 14 goals in 107 games.
"It's important that we get him signed, and I believe we will," Kekalainen told The Columbus Dispatch. "We're starting to get prepared [internally] for what it might take. The pluses are big and the minuses are few. He's a big part of our future and it's a big priority that we get him signed."
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