Quickly, the line begins to form

Only hours after Doug Risebrough was fired, at least four former NHL GMs expressed interest in the Wild job.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: April 16, 2009 - 11:56 PM

Craig Leipold will have no shortage of candidates for the Wild's general manager vacancy. In fact, one person would be interested in either the GM job or the coaching job.

Pat Quinn, whose daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren live in Eden Prairie, hopes to talk to the Wild owner in the coming days.

"I've been going into Minnesota since I was a young man to play back in the North Star days, and over the years, I've gained lots of friendships ... in the area, and obviously my daughter's settled there," said Quinn, 66. "But the reason I'm interested the most is the passion for the game of hockey from the fans and the community. ... It's just a great hockey market."

Quinn, who has 657 coaching victories with Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto, and has managed the Canucks and Maple Leafs, is one of several interested in replacing Doug Risebrough.

Former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Doug MacLean is extremely interested. According to sources, former Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster already contacted Leipold. Former Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Florida GM and current Chicago assistant GM Rick Dudley, considered a super-scout, would love the job.

"When I see 14 of my guys playing so well in Columbus, it excites me to get back in," said MacLean, who is friendly with Leipold. "Everybody wants a second chance as a GM. There's a great foundation in Columbus, and I feel really proud of that. Now that Minnesota's an established team, and we all know how amazing a hockey market it is, anybody would want a chance at that."

It's believed former New York Rangers GM Neil Smith is interested in the job, as well as Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton and Director of Hockey Operations Mike Santos and TSN analyst and former Hartford Whalers coach Pierre McGuire, who has long been intrigued by management.

Another possibility could be agent Neil Sheehy.

According to a source, Leipold, the former Predators owner, had a phone conversation Wednesday with Predators GM David Poile, although the subject of the conversation was unclear.

Poile couldn't be reached for comment, but a Predators spokesperson said Poile was "committed to Nashville and committed to building this team into a Stanley Cup contender."

The (Nashville) Tennessean reported last July that in the sale papers between Leipold and the Predators, he is prohibited from hiring Poile for any "employment opportunity with another NHL franchise."

Quinn, who has been coaching for Team Canada lately, said, "I miss the day-to-day business of the NHL. Taking teams in Canada has filled the breach, but I have an appetite to get back in."

Other potential candidates could include Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Chuck Fletcher and Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill. Fletcher, the son of longtime NHL GM Cliff Fletcher, is immensely respected, especially when it comes to scouting. Nill is the highest-paid assistant GM in the NHL and is largely responsible for the Red Wings' exceptional drafts, but several teams have been unable to lure him out of Detroit.

Other esteemed assistant GMs include Boston's Jim Benning, Tampa Bay's Claude Loiselle and Los Angeles' Ron Hextall. Also, the Bruins have yet to extend the contract of GM Peter Chiarelli, and he's a former Harvard teammate of Wild minority owner Phil Falcone.

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