Wild GM Chuck Fletcher says interim coach John Torchetti is "definitely a very serious candidate" to be the team's permanent head coach.

Fletcher held an end-of-the-season media session Thursday, four days after the Wild were eliminated from the playoffs by the Stars. Torchetti took over for the fired Mike Yeo in February and helped turn around the Wild.

He inherited a team that had gone 1-11-2 in its previous 14 games to plummet out of the playoff picture. The Wild finished 17-15-1 under Torchetti, including the playoffs.