Todd Richards will be the next head coach of the Minnesota Wild

From the Star Tribune (Hat Tip: IC reader Dan S.)

Todd Richards will be the second coach in Wild history, multiple sources around the NHL tell the Star Tribune.

Sources say an official offer has been made, negotiations are underway and a news conference could come as early as Tuesday to introduce Richards, an assistant with the San Jose Sharks.

Read the entire story here.

No real surprise here.  Chuck Fletcher, the new Wild GM, has a good relationship with Richards from their days in Pittsburgh together and is said to think very highly of him.  In fact, Richards was really the favorite from the outset.  After a successful stint as coach of Wilkes-Barre in the AHL, Richards moved on to coach with the Sharks and Todd McLellan last season and was not expected to be an assistant in the NHL for long.

By all accounts, Richards is a rising star  in the coaching fraternity.  He is still young at 42, coaches an aggressive system (the new way in the NHL) and is a Minnesota native to boot.  In reality, he is the perfect hire for the Wild moving forward. 

Now, Fletcher’s next job is to get Richards the personnel that will work in his system.  That, unfortunately for Wild fans, is a lot harder than hiring a head coach.