"Craig MacTavish hasn't landed the Minnesota Wild head coaching job yet, but several sources say he was in St. Paul, Minn., last week touring the Xcel Energy Center, which maybe a tipoff that he's the leading candidate.

The former Edmonton Oilers coach was interviewed early in the process by Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher and may also have had a second formal sit-down to talk about Minnesota's Northwest Division rival.

While MacTavish, whose brother Ian works for 3M in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area, isn't talking to the media, he has made no secret that he wants to return to coaching after leaving the Oilers in 2009.

MacTavish earned his master's degree in business from Queen's University in the interim and was an integral part of TSN's television hockey coverage the past two years as a studio commentator. He hasn't been working with the network since the Stanley Cup final started because of all the coaching conjecture.

MacTavish has also interviewed for the Ottawa Senators coaching job, although sources feel Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Paul MacLean, who has a long history with Senators GM Bryan Murray, is the leading candidate to replace Cory Clouston.

MacTavish is in the running for the job in Minnesota with former Columbus Blue Jackets/Dallas Stars/Philadelphia Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock, who is also very anxious to resume his coaching career after 1,041 games. Former Montreal Canadiens/Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien is also vying for the Wild job.

Hitchcock and MacTavish worked together when the world hockey championship was held in Quebec City and Halifax in 2008."