Five days after the only coach the Wild has ever known, Jacques Lemaire, stepped down, Craig Leipold announced there will be a complete changing of the guards.

Leipold, one year and one week after becoming the Wild's owner, fired Doug Risebrough -- the only general manager the Wild has ever had -- after a lot of agony and heartache.

"I can't overemphasize, this is not a knee-jerk decision on my part," said Leipold, who had one coach and GM during his 10-year reign as the Nashville Predators owner. "It's very well-thought-out, trying to understand what I feel it will take to get to the next level. It's my feeling now it's time to move forward. It's time to move on.

"I just saw things, and my gut says now's the time for a change so we can go out and get the best person out there who can take this incredible brand and great franchise and great team to the next level.

"It's time we get some new eyes in here."

Leipold refused to address the reasons for the change, saying there was no "big smoking gun event." But the Wild missed the playoffs after winning the Northwest Division last season and Risebrough has been under intense scrutiny from the media and fans. Leipold would only say he decided a month ago after lots of agonizing and informed Risebrough on Tuesday.

"I waited a month because we were in the heat of a playoff run," Leipold said. "I fully anticipated, fully expected to be in the playoffs, and I didn't want to disrupt anything that could get in the way."

Leipold said the new GM will hire the coach, determine the Wild's style of play and assess the remaining members of the front office and scouting department. "He'll have the freedom and flexibility to build his own organization," Leipold said.

Leipold said hiring a coach will be the first priority, but you can bet talking to Marian Gaborik, who could not be reached for comment, will be next. "I want his points and I want his goals and his speed," Leipold said of the Wild star, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. "I would love to have Gaborik on the team."

After a brief conversation with Leipold, assistant GM Tom Lynn was named acting GM. Lynn would not talk about the change specifically, but he said, "[Risebrough] has been a boss, a father figure, a friend and a teacher. We argued often, but I believe it is why our relationship worked so well for nine years. I will miss working with him."

Attempts to reach Risebrough at home and on his cell phone went right to voicemail.

Leipold: 'I have a list'

In the past, Risebrough, an avid outdoorsman and family man, had said he'd be content to never work again if his Wild career abruptly ended.

"He was a very astute, smart hockey man," former North Stars coach and GM Lou Nanne said. "And he laid a very solid foundation for this franchise."

The search to replace Risebrough began immediately. "I have a list already that I've been compiling," Leipold said. "There's some people who have had experience as general managers, and I have another list of people who have never been a GM before who are the bright stars of the NHL or AHL."

Lemaire was shocked.

"I got a call from [assistant coach Mario Tremblay] and he told me this and I said, 'Are you kidding me?' It was shocking, it was shocking," Lemaire said. "We tried to get this team better. What Craig thought was something different. I thought we did some decent things there."

Suddenly everything changes inside the Wild. There will be a new GM who will have no previous opinions or allegiances to players or prospects.

Suddenly, James Sheppard and Josh Harding might not be untouchable in trade talks. Suddenly, Risebrough's verbal no-trade agreements with Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Nick Schultz might not be binding. Suddenly, the jobs of Lynn, fellow assistant GM Tommy Thompson, Director of Hockey Operations Chris Snow and the amateur and pro scouting departments could be in flux. And maybe the Wild's style of play changes.

"It's a new beginning here," Schultz said. "New coach, new GM. First impressions will be huge. It's exciting, but nerve-racking at the same time."

Some moves didn't pan out

It has been a long year for Leipold, who attends every home game. He admitted he has been disappointed in the lack of development of some players. He said Risebrough's inability to re-sign or trade Gaborik played no factor.

The Wild has had difficulty signing top free agents under Risebrough, and he never made an impact trade-deadline move, something that frustrated some players. "It's hard at the trade deadline when you're so close to the playoffs, especially last year, and teams are making moves all around you that you're competing with," Schultz said. "That's hard as a player. You're hoping management's trying to make you better."

Risebrough wasn't afraid to lose free agents for nothing, but that adds up. He also routinely traded draft picks, which has left the minor league system barren.

Last June, the Wild spent a third-rounder to move up a single spot on the mere chance the New Jersey Devils would take Tyler Cuma. In 2007, it traded a second-round pick to move up three slots to draft Colton Gillies. It traded a second-round pick with Willie Mitchell for Martin Skoula and Shawn Belle. It traded third-round picks for Petteri Nummelin and Marc-Andre Bergeron.

It traded prospect Ryan Jones and a second-round pick for Marek Zidlicky. It traded Patrick O'Sullivan and a first-round pick for two years of Pavol Demitra. It dumped Ondrej Fiala. Roman Voloshenko and Petr Kalus quit the organization.

Leipold said firing Risebrough "was a hard conversation for me to have. I think Doug is the greatest. I like Doug a lot, very personally like Doug.

"So this is one of the hardest things I had to do. But it's something I felt had to happen."