Struggling Minnesota Wild fire head coach Mike Yeo

The struggling Minnesota Wild have fired head coach Mike Yeo.

John Torchetti, who has served as head coach of the Wild's American Hockey League affiliate in Iowa since 2014, will step in as interim head coach for Minnesota.

The Wild are 23-22-10 this season under Yeo. The team got off to a solid start playing in the tough Central Division, but have just three wins so far in 2016. The Wild are currently on an eight-game skid after losing to the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Saturday afternoon and have dropped 13 of their last 14.

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"I'm a realist," Yeo told reporters after Saturday's loss, before news of his firing surfaced. "You can't lose every game and expect to think that there's not going to be changes. I'm operating under the assumption I'll be the coach tomorrow and I know what I'm going to do and it's going to be something different. That's what happens when you lose. You're looking for a response."

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The Wild agreed that change was necessary, making Yeo the third coaching casualty of this NHL season after Todd Richards in Columbus and Mike Johnston in Pittsburgh.

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“I would like to thank Mike for the hard work and dedication he provided behind the bench for the Minnesota Wild organization and wish him the best in the future,” Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said in a statement.

Yeo was named the third head coach in Wild history on June 17, 2011. He led the Wild to the postseason the last three years after they failed to make the playoffs from 2008-12. Minnesota was ousted by the Chicago Blackhawks (twice in the second round) in each of their last three appearances.

Yeo, who previously was an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins and head coach of the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros, finishes his tenure in Minnesota with a 173-132-44 record.