After being relieved of his duties in April, former Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Kitchen was reportedly offered the same position with the Minnesota Wild but turned it down, according to Sportsnet's John Shannon.
The move would have kept Kitchen within the Central Divison, and perhaps it played a role in his decision. Kitchen spent seven seasons behind the bench with Joel Quenneville in Chicago, where he was part of two Stanley Cup runs in 2013 and 2015.
John Stevens stepped down as an assistant this summer after one season in Minnesota, creating an opening on Bruce Boudreau's staff. Stevens was in charge of the team's penalty kill unit and defensemen, responsibilities that Kitchen also held during his time with the Blackhawks.
The fit was there for both sides, but the timing of it could have been a factor for Kitchen as well.
The Wild are hoping to round out their coaching staff before the NHL Draft next weekend, per the Star Tribune's Michael Russo; Sabres assistant coach Bob Woods has emerged as the new front-runner to land the job.