Mikko Koivu and new teammates Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley combined for eight points in Friday's 4-3 win over Columbus. Koivu had three assists for the Wild while Heatley had two goals and one assist and Setoguchi chipped in with a goal and a helper. Coach Mike Yeo was very happy with his top line. "I was not a very good hockey player, but I would not want to have to try to defend those guys," Yeo said. All three players have helped their respective fantasy values with their efforts on Friday. Draft each accordingly.

Wild coach Mike Yeo is optimistic about Mikko Koivu's chances of having a big season while playing alongside Dany Heatley. "I have very, very high hopes for Mikko," Yeo said. "I'm not going to say he's going to get 125 points next year, but I know one thing, he's going to have a great chance to succeed with the players he's going to have around him. One thing I already started talking to Mikko about is I'm going to push for that guy to win the Selke Trophy [NHL's best defensive forward]. I don't know if he's going to win the Hart [MVP] next year, but I believe he can win the Selke. In order to do that, you have to get a lot of points, but you also have to be great defensively." Koivu had 17 goals and 62 points in 71 games last season. We don't expect him to dramatically improve due to his new linemate, but we wouldn't be surprised if he reaches the 70-point mark for the second time in his career.

Mikko Koivu will get the chance to play with Dany Heatley on his wing next season. Wild coach Mike Yeo will experiment with different line combinations during training camp, but he tipped his hand on a couple of variations for the top unit. Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Devin Setoguchi will both see time with Heatley and Koivu to see who meshes with whom before the regular season begins.

The Minnesota Wild are going full steam ahead with a plan to develop their team through the draft and with youth. Owner Craig Leipold is behind GM Chuck Fletcher with this plan so the Wild will now concentrate on the draft rather than throwing money away on expensive free agents who are past their prime. It could be two-three lean years in the Twin Cities but this is the best way to attempt to win the Stanley Cup as improving through the draft seems to be working under the new collective bargaining agreement. "This is all about winning the Cup. And I don't think in past years we've done a good job of really determining how we're going to get from Point A to Point B to Point C," Leipold said. "We are now seeing a clear path of how we could get there. I absolutely believe in it. No question. Are we better next year? Yeah, I think so. But I know we're better the year after, and we're a lot better the year after that."

Wild GM Chuck Fletcher and new head coach Mike Yeo plan to do more to make sure that players get in shape over the summer and stay in shape during the season. "The goal for me is not to punish people but to also not allow people to participate with the team until they get to the level they should have been at coming in," Fletcher said. "At minimum, we should assume that all of our players are in very good shape and are ready to compete. We're going to make sure that's the case this year." Yeo will provide each player with fitness goals and a number of players will receive off-season visits as a means of monitoring their fitness level. Fletcher promised that their would be repercussions if the player's fitness goals aren't met.

Mike Yeo will serve as the Minnesota Wild's head coach. Minnesota, like the Dallas Stars, decided to pick a young up-and-coming coach over a number of more established choices. At the time of writing, it looks like Yeo will be the youngest coach in the NHL. He led AHL Houston to the Calder Cup finals in 2010-11. Before that, he won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. "Mike possesses a great passion for coaching and is a strong communicator," said Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. "He has been a winner at every level throughout his extensive coaching career."

The Minnesota Wild are expected to name Mike Yeo as their new head coach on Friday. He will become the third bench boss in Wild history after leading their AHL affiliate in Houston to the Calder Cup finals this past season. Yeo helped the Aeros play with structure and physicality despite their lack of offensive punch, which he will look to duplicate with a similarly built Minnesota team.