The Minnesota Wild removed the interim tag for coach Dean Evason and gave him a contract extension through the 2021-22 season, the team announced Monday.
Evason took over the Wild on Feb. 14 after longtime coach Bruce Boudreau was fired. He led Minnesota to an 8-4 record in 12 games
The Wild will face the Vancouver Canucks in a five-game qualification-round series when the NHL resumes games on Aug. 1. Training camp opened Monday.
"I am very excited to announce that Dean Evason is our full-time head coach," Minnesota GM Bill Guerin said in a statement. "Dean has done a fantastic job as our interim head coach and deserves this opportunity. I look forward to watching our team under his leadership going forward."
A source told ESPN that Evason had one more year on his assistant coaching contract with the Wild before they offered him this extension.
Evason, 55, is in his second season with the Wild organization. Prior to that, he spent six seasons as head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators. He also spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals.
Evason had a 13-year NHL career as a center with the Capitals, Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames.
This is yet another significant move for Guerin, who is putting his stamp on the team after taking over as GM less than a year ago. Guerin traded popular winger Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline for future assets, and fired Boudreau.
Guerin is also working to sign the organization's top prospect, Kirill Kaprizov, who has been playing in Russia. The NHL ruled that Kaprizov is not available to play in the 24-team tournament this summer but could still sign his entry-level deal in a 53-hour window starting Monday and burn the first year of his entry-level contract.
