ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Not much has changed with the Minnesota Wild roster.The biggest difference is the man now in charge on the bench, Bruce Boudreau, whos been tasked with squeezing more success out of a team thats been stuck in the early rounds of the playoffs for the last four years.Bruce has that ability to convince the players, to get the players, to encourage the players, to prod the players to execute on a consistent basis, general manager Chuck Fletcher said the day Boudreau was introduced in May. If we do that, were a good hockey team and can even become very good.Boudreau has mostly experienced early exits from the postseason, too, with Washington and Anaheim. Without them, though, the 61-year-old likely wouldnt have been available to Fletcher and the Wild in the search for the franchises fifth head coach and fourth in six years. Theyre banking on Boudreau, with his remarkable regular season success of eight division titles in nine years, as the catalyst that this a group of players has been missing at critical times.You come to realize why hes had success. Everything he says makes a lot of sense, right wing Jason Pominville said. He kind of goes out of his way to make sure that we understand it and explains to us why were doing it and what can happen if we do it and do it right, so its nice to have that voice.With his roly-poly build and mischievous gap-toothed grin, Boudreau doesnt look the part of a taskmaster. Make no mistake, though, that his practices have been demanding during the get-to-know-each-other phase during training camp.They are intense, a lot of skating, and you can tell theres a purpose to all the drills were doing, left wing Zach Parise said, noting the emphasis on teaching concepts and creating game-like situations. It kind of forces us to play at a faster pace in practices, and hopefully that translates into games.The Wild start the season at division rival St. Louis on Oct. 13. Their home opener is two days later against Winnipeg.Here are some of the top storylines for 2016-17 in Boudreaus first year with Minnesota:PARISE RETURNS: Parise missed the playoff series last spring, a six-game loss to division champion Dallas, with a back injury that bothered him down the stretch and robbed the Wild of their best forward. Healthy enough to play for the U.S. team in the World Cup of Hockey, Parise will be counted on to be the emotional engine of a first line featuring center Marc Staal, one of the few notable offseason additions, and Charlie Coyle on the right wing.Theyre part of our top six, and we expect them to score, Boudreau said. And I expect them to be able to defend. Its not a one-way street.CONVERTED CENTER: Coyle has gone back and forth between center and the wing, but the plan for now is to keep him and his 6-foot-3, 218-pound frame on the wing. Coyle had a career-high 21 goals and 42 points in 2015-16, but he was still prone to long stretches without scoring.So far we havent seen the peak of him, Boudreau said. I think hell be better and when hes better it makes all of us better.CONVERTED CENTER, PART TWO: Since making his debut as a 20-year-old in 2012-13, Mikael Granlund hasnt matched the hype surrounding his talent with the same production. Granlund began to thrive on the wing during the postseason, and hell likely stay there on a line centered by captain Mikko Koivu and rounded out by Chris Stewart, the other significant free-agent acquisition.If Im a winger, Im a winger, Granlund said. Im excited both ways. So it doesnt matter to me.DEFENSEMEN DEMANDS: Boudreau hired Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens for his staff, bringing a hard-nosed guide for the blue-line group led by Parises pal, Ryan Suter. Stevens, who spent three years on New Jerseys staff, was itching to get back on the bench after working for NHL Network last season.Stan Smith Shoes Canada . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Stan Smith Sale . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. http://www.wholesalestansmithcanada.com/ . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Stan Smith Canada Outlet . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Stan Smith Canada Online . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler.ESTERO, Fla. -- Brooke Schulte scored 21 points, Jacqui Grant added 19 and No. 18 DePaul easily beat No. 11 Syracuse 108-84 in the third-place game at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday night.Jessica January scored 18 points and tied a career-best with 13 assists for the Blue Demons (5-1), who were 19 for 39 from 3-point range. Ashton Millender scored 14 for DePaul.Alexis Peterson scored 22 points for Syracuse (4-3), which has dropped three of its last four. Briana Day added 14 for the Orange.DePaul made a 3-pointer on the gamees first possession, and the barrage never stopped.dddddddddddd The Blue Demons made four 3-pointers in a 66-second span late in the opening quarter to open up a 29-11 lead, and finished with nine players making at least one 3-pointer in the game.In its three tournament games, DePaul -- which came into Sunday leading Division I at 12.4 made 3-pointers per game -- went 42 for 103 from beyond the arc. ' ' '