FanHouse DougRisebrough

A crucial offseason, possibly the most significant in franchise history, is underway for the Minnesota Wild. Head coach Jacques Lemaire and general manager Doug Risebrough, the only people to ever hold those positions for the Wild, are both gone.

The process of finding a new general manager took precedent for owner Craig Leipold, and he made sure to take his time and get things right. After a series of interviews, and a list of candidates that included high-profile broadcaster Pierre McGuire, Leipold has settled on a front-office veteran with a track record of helping build winning teams.

When the Minnesota Wild fired longtime general manager Doug Risebrough April 16, it was obvious that the team was about to embark on the most significant offseason in its almost decade-long history. Relatively new owner Craig Leipold made it clear that the standard of mediocrity on the ice was not going to be allowed to stand.

In searching for a new person to lead the franchise, Leipold appears to have reached out to a great variance of candidates. The list of finalists reported by Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is quite intriguing, as is word of a Tuesday interview with one of the candidates.

In 2000, I had a chance to interview Doug Risebrough on a radio show I hosted in Duluth, Minn. It was an interesting conversation, and it was a bit of an education. Frankly, I didn't know a lot about hockey then, and I certainly didn't know a thing about building an expansion franchise from the ground up.

Nearly nine years later, Risebrough finds himself unemployed, fired as Minnesota Wild president and general manager by club owner Craig Leipold. While I was shocked by the move, it was one that I knew needed to happen. Given multiple chances at redemption, Risebrough could only destroy his chance of returning.

Speculation had been floating around for a while. A year ago, Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire decided to return, but only after consulting with general manager Doug Risebrough. He admitted he wanted Risebrough to tell him he could still coach, and it was an odd type of reassurance for a coach of Lemaire's stature to seek.

After the Wild closed out their season with a 6-3 win over Columbus Saturday, Lemaire announced he was stepping down as Wild coach.

When the NHL trade deadline passed Wednesday without the Minnesota Wild making a significant move, no one was really surprised. After all, the Wild have never really been known for their deadline aggression. Not only that, but they are on the fence when it comes to buying or selling, and those teams usually tend to stand pat at the deadline, hoping to sneak into the playoffs with what they already have.

General manager Doug Risebrough had a chance to do something significant Wednesday. Instead, he may have committed his biggest blunder by not pulling the trigger on a deal for his best player.

Full disclosure: I am a fan of the Minnesota Wild. I have been on the proverbial bandwagon since their inception, and I'm not the kind to switch teams or quit being a fan.

This has been a frustrating season. Marian Gaborik was injured early and has pretty much stayed that way since. The team is short on offensive talent and long on goaltending, and they've relied way too much on their defense to win games. With Gaborik on the way back, the Wild are trying to hang on in the playoff race until he returns. I have a better idea.

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The Clash once posed the question: Should I stay or should I go now? We take a look at the big names surrounding the NHL trade deadline and whether they'll be staying in place or going to finish the season in another city.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. After giving a contract extension the good ol' college try over the summer, Minnesota Wild general manager Doug Risebrough has watched his biggest trade asset blow up in smoke. Marian Gaborik has been injured for virtually the entire season, first going down the day before Minnesota's third game of the season. For the season, Gaborik has appeared in a paltry six games. With their best player spending too much time in the training room, it's no surprise the Wild are in a struggle for their playoff lives.

Last summer, the Minnesota Wild lost forward Brian Rolston, who went to New Jersey as a free agent. The Wild could have signed Rolston to a contract the previous off-season, but apparently didn't think the aging forward would attract a lot of suitors in what turned out to be a weak market.

This summer, the Minnesota Wild could prove that even highly-placed front office executives can fail to learn the simplest lessons. Goaltender Niklas Backstrom's two-year deal expires after the season, and he still hasn't been re-signed.

What an amazing soap opera this has been. Perhaps we'll now get some closure in the Marian Gaborik story.

We've gone from trade rumors to an injury to more trade rumors to a comeback to another injury to trade rumors, and now we have a knife involved.

The knife in question belongs to Dr. Marc Philippon of Vail, Colorado. Monday, Philippon will operate on the left hip of Gaborik. Successful surgery and recovery will keep Gaborik out of the lineup for 10-14 weeks. That means the best-case scenario has Gaborik returning to the team sometime around March 16. Worst-case? April 13, which would be during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Apparently unwilling to let the drama go, the Wild are making it abundantly clear that they aren't fully supportive of Gaborik undergoing this surgery. I'm not sure why, as Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune says this hip injury includes a torn labrum and bad cartilage. The belief is that the hip problems have been at the root of Gaborik's long-standing groin issues. It's thought to be worse than the right hip was before Philippon operated on it in 2008.

Enough is enough.

Losers in eight of their last 10 games, and looking completely lifeless Sunday night, there is no doubt that something needs to happen to the Minnesota Wild roster.

When you get booed off the ice at the XCel Energy Center, and your name isn't Todd Bertuzzi, you've probably done something terribly wrong.

The Wild are simply pathetic right now, and the smart hockey fans in Minnesota are well aware of the problems. The team was out-shot 27-10 through two periods, and they were getting mock cheers from the crowd for simply getting weak shots on net.

Jacques Lemaire-coached teams pride themselves on their effort. When the effort is there, the execution and overall performance are lacking because the team lacks a go-to offensive player.

When the effort isn't there, ugliness ensues, and the hockey becomes completely unwatchable.