NHL insider: What does Torchetti have to do to keep his job?

He quit drinking for Lent and plans to keep it up until at least after the season because of how good he has felt physically and mentally.

He guzzles Diet Cokes and sniffs smelling salts to perk him up during games, although he stopped doing that on the bench because he doesn't want to be a bad influence on kids.

Judging from the Twittersphere, Wild fans seem to be falling for the quirky coach that is John Torchetti.

They love the passion, how he's gotten through to certain underachievers and most important, at least before the past two games, how the Wild's playing as it vies for a fourth consecutive playoff spot.

Remember, the Wild was in a 1-11-2 downward spiral before he took over.

So the natural question by many lately has been, "What will it take for Torchetti to shed the interim label this offseason?"

Is merely making the playoffs enough? Does he need to win a round, get past Chicago, lead the team to a Stanley Cup parade down West 7th?

Torchetti has done an impressive job thus far, though. General Manager Chuck Fletcher gave him carte blanche to coach the team the way he sees fit, and that has led to such gutsy decisions as scratching Thomas Vanek and Jason Zucker in important games, shaking up the penalty kill and even removing respected veteran Jarret Stoll for a game.

One of Torchetti's favorite phrases is "I coach for the logo," so "I don't care who you are, whether you're an assistant captain, captain, leading goal scorer," it's all about playing the game the right way.

Torchetti has a certain style he wants the game played. It's all about being on the right side of the puck, attacking and battling. If you're cheating, not being responsible with the puck or being lax defensively, he'll get in your face.

But it's usually always behind the scenes. As hard as Torchetti can be, he somehow strikes that fine balance of being a player's coach. Maybe it's because he's so honest and communicative in the background and very rarely calls out one of his players publicly. If he does talk about a bad penalty or lost battle, he'll rarely accompany the criticism by naming names.

While some coaches motivate through the press, all Torchetti will offer is "need a solid two-way game" or "need more."

Torchetti believes that if you entrust players and show them confidence, they'll pay you back tenfold. That's how he explains the terrific play of Erik Haula and Nino Niederreiter under his tutelage and the improved play of Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and Mikael Granlund.

He seems to be pushing the right buttons. Take the penalty kill, which is 29-for-31 in 13 games since he shook things up by pulling Stoll for a game and throwing Parise, Granlund and Charlie Coyle on the kill.

He says it's akin to when a line isn't working or a forecheck is ineffective. It's the coach's job to find a remedy to problems.

A lot still has to happen for Torchetti to get the full-time gig, but owner Craig Leipold and Fletcher must love the way most players are responding. Of course, they also may feel they have to at least do their due diligence at the end of the season and conduct a coaching search with Torchetti very much in the mix.

Torchetti's not thinking that far ahead. He told Kevin Falness on KFAN's Wild Weekly: "Sometimes you tend to push your team a little bit too hard because you're trying to get a contract, but I'm not worrying about a contract. I'm just worrying about this team enjoying themselves, playing hard and being a team.

NHL short takes

Say what you want about college kids becoming free agents if they don't sign with the team that drafted them within four years, but this is not a loophole. This was collectively bargained between the NHL and Players' Association and is crystal clear in the CBA.

Last week, Nashville Predators GM David Poile understandably voiced his frustration that Harvard star Jimmy Vesey's reps wouldn't let the Preds meet with Vesey, then announced he'll become a free agent Aug. 15. The concern always in these situations, especially since Vesey can't make more money in free agency, is that there's been tampering. His dad works for Toronto; there are reports in Boston that he's already destined for there.

Still, GM's will up and trade a player at any time, so it's hard to cry about loyalty when a player exercises a right that the CBA affords him. The Columbus Blue Jackets' brass publicly didn't rip Mike Reilly when he went this route last year.

Disappointing Edmonton former No. 1 overall pick Nail Yakupov told a Russian reporter last week that he requested a trade before the Feb. 29 deadline. The Oilers clearly didn't trade him because they couldn't find a partner or the right deal. Yakupov is a likely goner this offseason, but there could be other changes in Edmonton, which is staring at yet another chance at winning the lottery.

"We'll see what happens this summer; not just Yak but a lot of guys could be gone," said Taylor Hall, one of four No. 1 overall picks on Edmonton

Sunday: 7 p.m. at Winnipeg

Tuesday: 7 p.m. vs. San Jose

Saturday: 6 p.m. vs. Calgary

All games on FSN

The bushy-bearded former Wild player leads all NHL defensemen with 27 goals.

VOICES

"You shouldn't swing your stick at someone's face. That goes from when you were a Mite."