The Minnesota Wild aren't wasting any time trying to fill their now-vacant general manager position.

After the team fired Paul Fenton on Tuesday after only one season as GM, Wild owner Craig Leipold and team president Matt Majka have already interviewed Ron Hextall and Peter Chiarelli for the job, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The process is in its early stages and the interviews do not mean either candidate is a front-runner, the sources added.

Hextall served as GM of the Philadelphia Flyers from May 2014 until his firing in November 2018. Chiarelli spent nearly four years as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers before he was axed in January. He won the Stanley Cup in the same role with the Boston Bruins in 2011.

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The Arizona Coyotes' new owner made it clear Thursday he'll do his best to ensure the club doesn't relocate.

"I am committed to stay(ing) here," Alex Meruelo told reporters at his introductory press conference. "I will do everything I can in my heart, and in my hard work, to make sure that we can make it viable."

Meruelo, who assumed majority ownership of the team Monday, also expressed his desire to build a championship winner.

"I will not stop, I will not stop until we bring a Stanley Cup to the Valley," the billionaire businessman said.

As if that wasn't enough, Meruelo had an emphatic message for Coyotes fans.

"I believe that I have to earn their trust and loyalty. That's on me," he said, according to The Athletic's Craig Morgan. "If I do that I know they’ll respond by coming out and watching us and supporting us. At the end of the day, we're Coyote nation and we all want to win, and I sure as shit want to win."

Meruelo, who became the first Hispanic majority owner in the NHL with Monday's transaction, explained Thursday that it was a dream come true.

"It's been a dream of mine since I was six (or) eight years old," he said. "I'm just a Hispanic kid from Brooklyn, New York, so if I can do it, anybody can do it."

Meruelo reportedly bought a 95 percent stake in the club from the previous owner, Andrew Barroway, who retained the remaining five.

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The Calgary Flames have placed defenseman Michael Stone on waivers for the purpose of a buyout, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Stone signed a three-year, $10.5-million contract with the Flames in 2017. His buyout counts for $1.16 million against the salary cap for the next two seasons but saves Calgary $2.3 million for the 2019-20 campaign, according to Cap Friendly.

The 29-year-old was limited to only 14 games last season, during which he posted five assists.

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Matt Cullen retired from the NHL in July after 21 seasons, but he's decided to remain with the team for which he last played.

Cullen will join the Pittsburgh Penguins' hockey operations department in a player development role, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Thursday.

"Matt's knowledge of the game and understanding of our organization will make him a valuable asset moving forward," Rutherford said. "With over 20 years in the NHL and three Stanley Cups, we are certain he will continue to have a positive influence on our players."

Cullen played three seasons with the Penguins, winning championships in 2016 and 2017. He finished his career 19th all time with 1,516 games played, during which he registered 731 points.

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Matt Cullen retired from the NHL in July after 21 seasons, but he's decided to remain with the team for which he last played.

Cullen will join the Pittsburgh Penguins' hockey operations department in a player development role, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Thursday.

"Matt's knowledge of the game and understanding of our organization will make him a valuable asset moving forward," Rutherford said. "With over 20 years in the NHL and three Stanley Cups, we are certain he will continue to have a positive influence on our players."

Cullen played three seasons with the Penguins, winning championships in 2016 and 2017. He finished his career 19th all time with 1,516 games played, during which he registered 731 points.

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Kevin Shattenkirk's tenure with the New York Rangers is coming to an end, as the club will buy out the veteran defenseman's contract, the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis reports.

The Rangers have informed Shattenkirk that he'll be bought out, according to the New York Post's Larry Brooks.

Shattenkirk has two years remaining on the four-year, $26.6-million pact he inked with the Rangers on July 1, 2017. The deal carries a cap hit of $6.65 million.

The 30-year-old is owed $6.6 million in base salary in 2019-20 and $2 million in base salary - with a $2-million bonus - in 2020-21, according to CapFriendly.

Because Shattenkirk has a no-movement clause in his contract, the Rangers aren't required to place him on unconditional waivers before buying him out.

Shattenkirk collected 28 points in 73 games with New York this past season after posting 23 in 46 contests during his first campaign with the Rangers in 2017-18.

The former member of the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals averaged only 18:56 in ice time for New York in 2018-19, ranking fifth on the club among blue-liners.

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The NHL is famous for its parity come playoff time.

Over the last four years, we've seen a team win back-to-back championships, an expansion franchise make the final, and a pair of clubs win their first-ever titles. All bets are off in the spring, but that doesn't mean some teams aren't built for success better than others are.

We looked at four key factors for all 32 organizations - including Seattle - and predicted each team's chances of winning a Stanley Cup during the next three seasons. In this edition, we focus on the Pacific Division.

Note: The 32 teams in the exercise were given combined Stanley Cup odds that total 300 percent - 100 percent per year.

Seattle: 0.1 percent

Beginning play in 2021-22, Seattle will be around for only one season of the three-year window. The NHL's newest franchise will have a much more difficult time competing in its inaugural season than the Vegas Golden Knights did, as general managers will be better prepared for the expansion draft this time.

Los Angeles Kings: 0.8 percent

Despite boasting a former Selke Trophy honoree in Anze Kopitar and former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty, the Kings need a lot of help. There are a handful of decent prospects coming through the pipeline, but only 2019 fifth overall pick Alex Turcotte projects to have an immediate impact in the NHL. The Kings are in the infancy stages of their rebuild and it's going to take plenty of time before they make a return to relevancy.

Anaheim Ducks: 0.9 percent

The Ducks are in an unfamiliar state. After being competitive for the better part of the last 15 years, the club is entering a rebuilding stage. The kids - Trevor Zegras, Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Max Jones, Max Comtois, and Jacob Larsson - aren't quite ready to grab the torch and run with it, and the veteran core isn't good enough anymore to continue to carry the load. John Gibson, Hampus Lindholm, and Rickard Rakell remain building blocks, but Anaheim is more than three years away from a return to glory.

Arizona Coyotes: 2 percent

The Coyotes will be in the Central Divison in three years, but we still included them in the Pacific for this exercise. Arizona battled more injuries than any other team did last season and still finished just four points out of a playoff spot. There's reason to believe the Yotes will snap their seven-year playoff drought in 2019-20, but it seems unlikely they'll make a run at the Cup. Phil Kessel was a great addition up front, but it speaks volumes that he's the team's top forward by a landslide. The Coyotes will need Clayton Keller to explode onto the scene if they are going to take the next step,

Edmonton Oilers: 3 percent

The Oilers have the crown jewel in Connor McDavid and we're still giving them just a three percent chance, which shows how much work Ken Holland needs to do to clean up Peter Chiarelli's mess. Swapping Milan Lucic for James Neal was a good start, but this team is still missing an answer between the pipes, mobility on defense, and depth scoring. Holland needs to find cheap, effective wingers so McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can carry their own lines, which will give the team its best shot at a Stanley Cup.

Vancouver Canucks: 5 percent

The Canucks' young core of Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and Quinn Hughes is one of the most enviable groups in the league. The biggest concern for Vancouver is the decision-making of GM Jim Benning. He's been excellent when it comes to the draft but has handed out some egregious, long-term contracts to undeserving players who could handcuff the team over the next three seasons, thus capping the potential of this promising club.

Calgary Flames: 12 percent

Last season may have been Calgary's best chance at a Cup for the foreseeable future. Mark Giordano had a career year, Matthew Tkachuk was on the last season of his entry-level contract, and the team received stellar goaltending in the playoffs from Mike Smith. With Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, and Tkachuk leading the way up front and four promising defensemen who are no older than 22, the Flames will be competitive. Questions remain, though. Is David Rittich the answer between the pipes? Or, at the very least, can he get hot in the spring? Only time will tell.

San Jose Sharks: 18 percent

Much like the Flames, the Sharks' real opportunity to win it all was last year, as Erik Karlsson was on a team-friendly deal, Joe Pavelski was still on the roster, and Timo Meier was severely underpaid. The window is far from closed, though, especially considering the majority of this group is still in their prime. Martin Jones is the X-factor. If he can return to his pre-2018 form and both Karlsson and Brent Burns are healthy, look out.

Vegas Golden Knights: 20 percent

After making a handful of minor moves this offseason, the Golden Knights have escaped salary cap purgatory. They're barely under the limit, but the entire core is locked up long term - most of them on team-friendly contracts thanks to Nevada's lack of state tax. Cody Glass, the first draft pick in franchise history, should make his NHL debut this season and could have a substantial impact during the next three years, which could potentially push this team over the top. The only question is, how many more years of elite play does Marc-Andre Fleury, 34, have in the crease?

Others in this series:

• Atlantic Division
• Central Division
• Metropolitan Division (Aug. 1)

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