Chuck Fletcher will stay on as general manager of the Minnesota Wild even if the team is bounced from the playoffs in the first round, club owner Craig Leipold said Thursday.

"There is absolutely no way Chuck is not going to be here next year," Leipold told Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune. "He is our guy. I continue to have a high level of confidence in Chuck and his staff and we’re already talking about next year ... Chuck knows he is not on any hot seat with me.

"So if there are rumors (about Fletcher being replaced) - and I haven’t seen them - then they aren’t something Chuck or anyone else should be worried about."

Minnesota faces a 3-1 series deficit at the hands of the Dallas Stars, and squeaked into the playoffs after Fletcher replaced Mike Yeo with interim head coach John Torchetti.

Fletcher is tied down by several long-term contracts to veteran players, and is currently icing a roster that's missing high-paid, injured forwards Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek.

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