Recent content from Michael Russo
Wild's Fletcher, Flahr owe much to late NHL executive Bryan Murray
Murray's hiring of Chuck Fletcher and Brent Flahr began a long working relationship and close-knit friendship that others in hockey were fortunate enough to share.
Coming home: Cullen to join Wild, play 20th NHL season
Native Minnesotan Matt Cullen called joining the Wild for the 2017-18 season a "family decision." He has won three Stanley Cups, and will turn 41 in November.
Da Beauty League: A chance to watch pro hockey stars up close
In the waning minutes of every game in Da Beauty League, dozens of kids in hockey garb press against each railing at the Zamboni entrance inside Edina's Braemar Arena.
Granlund, Wild agree to three-year deal with benefits for both sides
In avoiding Friday's arbitration hearing, Mikael Granlund's agent didn't want a multiyear contract to go too long-term.
Niederreiter ready for more ice time after new deal with Wild
After a career year in which he scored 25 goals and 57 points, Nino Niederreiter has loftier expectations after signing a five-year deal with the Wild.
Niederreiter avoids arbitration, signs five-year contract with Wild
Niederreiter's contract, which has no no-trade protection and buys three of his unrestricted free agency years, was right in line with the market for other recent deals.
Can Wild avoid arbitration hearings with Niederreiter, Granlund?
Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund are thought to be seeking long-term contracts north of $6 million annually. They have hearings scheduled for next week.
Wild's Boudreau among owners of new Twin Cities junior hockey team
The Tier III expansion team is based in Coon Rapids and will debut its 44-game schedule at home Sept. 22. The Wild coach will attend tryouts this weekend.
Scandella 'all ears' as he heads to Buffalo and coach Housley
Marco Scandella, the second-longest tenured Wild player until being traded, said he's looking forward to playing for Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley in Buffalo.
Wild turning attention to signing restricted free agents Granlund, Neiderreiter
Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter, both coming off career years, have filed for salary arbitration. Their salaries will have an impact on other moves the Wild can make.
Wild addresses depth, signs seven on Day 1 of free agency
Veteran defenseman Kyle Quincey was the top signing Saturday, inking a one-year, $1.25 million deal. The Wild signed six others but talks with Matt Cullen haven't led to deal.
Is Matt Cullen on Wild's free agency wish list?
Stanley Cup-winning center could be biggest move team makes on first day of wheeling and dealing.
Wild frees up 'valuable cap space' shipping Pominville, Scandella to Buffalo
The Wild made a big move Friday, trading Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella to Buffalo in exchange for Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno.
Vegas-raised Zucker has high hopes for NHL in town where he grew up
As much as Jason Zucker tries to dodge the Vegas strip, he'll have no choice next March 16 when the Wild's scheduled to play its first-ever game against the expansion Golden Knights
As Wild turns to free agency, don't count out a significant trade
All the team's activities Monday indicate a trade could be around the corner. Some kind of deal is needed in order for the Wild to free up salary cap money for free agency.
Bob Woods announced as new Wild assistant coach
Head coach Bruce Boudreau and Woods will coach together for the fourth time.
North stars: 3 from Minn. go in NHL draft's 1st round
While it may have been an uneventful day for the Wild, it wasn't for Minnesotans Casey Mittelstadt, Ryan Poehling and Jake Oettinger. Mittelstadt, the Minnesota Mr. Hockey from Eden Prairie, was drafted eighth by the Buffalo Sabres. And then Lakeville pals Poehling and Oettinger went back-to-back late in the first round.
Koivu knows contract status not a top Wild priority, yet
Wild captain Mikko Koivu knows GM Chuck Fletcher has a lot on his plate before he can even think about maybe talking to him about a contract extension.
After saving defensemen from expansion, will Fletcher trade one?
It's a a good bet Wild GM Chuck Fletcher wheels and deals in Chicago during this weekend's draft. Round 1 is Friday night, Rounds 2-7 are Saturday night.
![Marco Scandella (6) and Erik Haula (56) made their way to the ice for warm ups. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ ï cgonzalez@startribune.com - April 12, 2017, S](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/HEG2QWHMZWTSBK2WGV5IEDB6NM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Leaving the Wild: Haula excited about 'a fresh start'
After being relegated for much of last season to the fourth line in Minnesota, Haula's excited for the new opportunity he'll receive with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.
It's official: Vegas inks Wild's Haula, acquires Tuch
Erik Haula, who could have become a restricted free agent July 1, signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.
Wild monitoring Hossa's situation for salary cap ramifications
Many teams, including the Wild, will be eyeballing how the NHL handles the Marian Hossa situation with the Blackhawks. Hossa's career might be over because of a skin allergy.
Sources: Expansion Vegas team negotiating with Wild free agent Haula
If the Golden Knights sign the former two-time University of Minnesota leading scorer, Erik Haula would count as the Wild's lost player in expansion.
Koivu, Granlund humbled being NHL award finalists in Vegas
The Wild's Mikko Koivu is up for the Selke Trophy, and Mikael Granlund for the Lady Byng. The awards will be revealed Wednesday night.
How high will he go? Mittelstadt rides NHL draft excitement, stress
Gophers freshman Casey Mittelstadt could become be the highest-drafted Minnesotan since Ryan McDonagh, another Mr. Hockey winner, went 12th overall to the New York Rangers in 2007.
Lakeville North pals mature into potential first-round NHL draft picks
St. Cloud State center Ryan Poehling and Boston University goaltender Jake Oettinger grew up a three-minute drive from each other, and work out and skate together in the summer.
Dumba, Staal, Scandella biggest Wild names unprotected for expansion
After a year of fretting and speculating, Wild fans know the full list of 23 players who were left exposed for the Las Vegas team to take one from in Wednesday's expansion draft.
Wild and NHL wait as expansion roster deadline nears
GM Chuck Fletcher, trying to keep losses to a minimum, was in trade talks in advance of a moratorium early Saturday afternoon.
Wild makes no moves as deadline passes
With lists submitted, any Wild moves now must go through Golden Knights.
Wild gets 'quality' trade offers for Brodin, Dumba
The team might be trying to move one of its better defensemen to avoid losing him in the expansion draft.
Wild GM Fletcher talking possible trades with expansion Vegas but nothing completed
Vegas' debut roster will be announced throughout next Wednesday's NHL Awards Show. The Wild almost certainly will lose a good player in the expansion draft.
Crosby finds motivation to lead Penguins to third Cup
In hindsight, P.K. Subban probably should have avoided poking the bear and dragging Sidney Crosby into ListerineGate.
Dream comes true for Penguins rookie Guentzel
Hill-Murray graduate Jake Guentzel became the first rookie in NHL history to lead the postseason in goals (13) -- and won the Stanley Cup as well.
Penguins' Cullen, in 'likely' his last game, makes a big impact
The Minnesota native, 40, was solid on penalty kill and won key faceoffs.
Penguins break tie with 95 seconds left, win back-to-back Cups
Former Predators fan favorite Patric Hornqvist returned to Music City, spoiled Nashville's party and delivered the NHL its first repeat champion since 1998.
Nashville fired up for Game 6, but can't rely on fans for energy
Nashville will have its fired-up fan base but needs to play better to survive.
Matt Cullen eyes another Stanley Cup as career winds down
Cullen has treated this season as his last. His wife is homesick for Minnesota, and he craves the chance to coach his three hockey-loving boys.
Roster dilemmas: Wild facing tough choices as NHL expansion nears
The Wild has complicated expansion decisions to make about whom to protect on its roster, and there are rumors that management is working to make a significant trade.
'Real hockey starts now' as Penguins move within one game of Cup
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel combined for eight points, chasing Nashville's Pekka Rinne from the net as Pittsburgh moved within one win of lifting the Stanley Cup again.
Brainerd's Archibald relishes his rare chance with Penguins
Josh Archibald didn't play in Game 5 on Thursday, but he did skate in Game 4. The rule for having one's name etched on the Stanley Cup is 41 games played or one game in the Stanley Cup Final with the winner.
Former Gophers star Kessel struggling to find his scoring touch
Phil Kessel has been limited to one assist and nine shots in four games in the Stanley Cup finals, a series in which the Penguins are 1-for-16 on the power play. Game 5 is tonight.
Predators goalie Rinne quickly rewards his coach's faith
Pekka Rinne's strong play has the Predators two wins from the Stanley Cup. He is 9-1 at home in the playoffs with a .949 save percentage.
Predators impress at home, beat Penguins 4-1 to tie Stanley Cup Final
Another strong outing by goalie Pekka Rinne in front of a raucous crowd helps Nashville make the series a best-of-three.
Gophers recruit Mittelstadt gets a taste of the NHL life
After a trip to the NHL draft combine, the former Eden Prairie star has gotten a chance to hang out at the Stanley Cup, where he's trying not to act like too much of a fan.
Family aside, Guentzel's No. 1 fan is former North Stars great Ciccarelli
In 1981, Dino Ciccarelli scored a rookie record of 14 goals in the Stanley Cup. Guentzel, of Woodbury, is one behind the NHL Hall of Famer, who twice scored more than 50 goals in a season for the Stars.
Nashville responds with 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 3
The Predators struck three times in the second period to take control in Game 3. Pittsburgh leads the series 2-1.
Penguins young and old benefit from Crosby's leadership
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said it wasn't a coincidence that the 22-year-old Jake Guentzel was placed to the left of Sidney Crosby in the Penguins' dressing room.
Smashville: Predators hockey is hot ticket in Music City
Fired-up fans ready for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final are as fluent in hockey as they are with Nashville's top-tier music.
Power couple: Housleys make sports and politics mix
Phil and Karin Housley have ambitious agendas, be it in the National Hockey League or the Minnesota state senate.
Hill-Murray's Guentzel is huge again as Penguins win Game 2
For the second straight game, rookie Jake Guentzel scored the game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals. He's closing in on a rookie record held by a former Minnesota North Star.
Penguins' AHL call-ups rising to the occasion in Stanley Cup playoffs
There's no doubt a number of Pittsburgh's key players were molded well in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., site of their AHL club.
Malkin - Pittsburgh's other superstar - stepping out of Crosby's shadow
Evgeni Malkin is often overlooked because of Sidney Crosby. But that's fine, as together they are approaching historical achievements with the Penguins.
![Wild assistant coach Scott Stevens watches from behind the bench during the first period. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE ï anthony.souffle@startribune.com Gam](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/BKMMWTOBT64NIEMFYSSNDQSQG4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Boudreau weighs options after top assistant Stevens resigns
Scott Stevens, 53, informed the Wild of his decision before the team's hockey operations meetings last week. "He's going to be very difficult to replace," head coach Bruce Boudreau said.
Penguins stumble, snap back with Guentzel's winning goal in Game 1
After Pittsburgh lost an early 3-0 lead, the former Hill-Murray star came through to break a 3-3 tie late in the game.
NHL commissioner discussed offside review issues before Game 1 call
Almost as if he was clairvoyant, Gary Bettman got ahead of what looked like what might have ended up being the Stanley Cup Final opener's chief story line two hours before puck drop.
Stanley Cup Final will match Penguins' world-class offense against Predators' world-class defense
Talented back end takes on high-powered offense.
Nashville's David Poile is dean of the NHL's general managers
At age 67, highly respected David Poile has a team in Stanley Cup Final for first time.
Wild not worried about losing Russian prospect Kirill Kaprizov
Chuck Fletcher doesn't believe the rumors that the former fifth-round pick will sign a long-term deal with CSKA Moscow.
'Bored' Boudreau still frustrated by Wild's playoff collapse
Wild coach Bruce Boudreau still believes the Wild is a legit Stanley Cup contender, all the more because he sees similarities between his team and finalist Nashville.
Wild owner Leipold laments his team's failure: 'I'm not over it'
Craig Leipold said his team "crapped out" in its playoff loss to St. Louis, and now it's up to Wild management to dissect what happened and fix things to prepare for next season and beyond.
With expansion draft looming, Wild preparing for offseason player changes
There's no way around it: the Wild will lose a quality player to the Vegas Golden Knights in expansion. The Wild also has significant restricted free agents to re-sign, including Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter.
Playing with legends, Woodbury's Guentzel is Stanley Cup's top scorer
When he was younger, Hill-Murray grad Jake Guentzel was a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Now he's one of them. "It's amazing. You wake up and it's still a dream you get to play with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin."
Sidestepping negatives, Wild GM Fletcher cites 'remarkably consistent team'
In his season-ending remarks Tuesday, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher pointed to the teams regular-season improvement, not the speedy playoff exit vs. St. Louis.
Wild's Eric Staal feels fortunate after scary crash into the boards
Center improving after concussion, but he laments early playoff exit.
Wild's puzzling collapse begs for the reasons why
Another first-round exit leaves plenty of blame to go around.
Blues end Wild's season with series-clinching overtime goal
The Wild didn't go quietly Saturday afternoon, but few will remember the Wild's franchise-best regular season now that the team couldn't even get past Game 5 of the first round.
Wild, Blues are resigned to low-scoring series
Minnesota and St. Louis players are surprising even themselves with tenacity in limiting goals.
Cheating on the faceoff dot is delaying Wild-Blues games
Game 4 was slowed as centers, often the Wild's, drew calls.
Wild's Charlie Coyle steps up his game in playoffs
Wild's tough, talented winger ditched slump to be playoff force.
Dubnyk, Wild force Game 5 against St. Louis with 2-0 victory
Charlie Coyle and Martin Hanzal scored and Devan Dubnyk stopped all 28 Blues shots he faced to send the Wild's series with St. Louis into Saturday.
Hanzal's 'been good,' says Wild coach Boudreau
Because of the Wild's 4-10-2 March and playoff lack of success, some still feel the arrival of Martin Hanzal and Ryan White messed up the Wild's chemistry. Coach Bruce Boudreau disputes that claim.
Fate dealt Wild assistant coach Stevens a short Blues career
The Hall of Fame defenseman was part of one of hockey's most controversial rulings.
Blues defenseman Bouwmeester carves out memorable career
Jay Bouwmeester's effective play against the Wild has St. Louis on the verge of a four-game sweep.
Wild's frustration can be measured in big numbers, raw emotions
Statistical advantages are no comfort in a 3-0 hole.
'It's just not working.' Wild drops another close game to St. Louis
After a franchise-record 106 points, the Wild is three games into this postseason and has yet to figure out how to win a game against the St. Louis Blues or light up their stingy goalie.
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