Bruce Boudreau is easily the top option to coach the Minnesota Wild

The market for free agent coaches just got halfway palatable. Move over Randy Carlyle, Marc Crawford, and um... Paul MacLean? Bruce Boudreau just jumped from the firing line to the top of the list of available coaches!

He piloted #1-ranked offenses in both his coaching stops, but that doesn't quite give a sense of his impact. What does is this- upon leaving Washington, the team took a dip in controlling scoring chances until Barry Trotz arrived, and Anaheim's ability to control play immediately went up when Boudreau replaced Carlyle.

Boudreau's offensive-mindedness would be a godsend to a Minnesota franchise whose history has largely defined by a sometimes excessive commitment to defensive play. While Mike Yeo returned the Wild to a stifling defensive style that was absent in the years prior to his arrival, the Wild often struggled to turn that into possession and offense. Boudreau is one of the very few coaches on the market who has a history of building on that structure and adding scoring.

So yes, Boudreau would be great for Minnesota. But could Minnesota sign him?

It's hard to imagine that money will be an issue for Wild owner Craig Leipold. He spends up to the cap each season and hasn't been one to cut corners to bring a winner to Minnesota. Not only that, after deciding to stand by GM Chuck Fletcher, Leipold doubtlessly wants to get "his guy" the tools he needs to succeed. So that brings up the question: Would fit be an issue for Boudreau?