A list of possible candidates for the Denver metropolitan vacancy(from a friend who's been watching).
Bishop Nickless of Sioux City, IA
Ricken of Green Bay, WI
Vlazny of Portland, formerly of Winona, MN
Campbell of Columbus, formerly Auxiliary in St. Paul - Minneapolis, MN
The Upper Midwest has been on a roll: We have Archbishops in Anchorage, Portland, NYC, Cincinnati, and a Bishop in San Diego.
One blogger thinks the leading candidate is Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, ND.
Bishop Aquila, currently the Ordinary of the Fargo Diocese, is no stranger to Denver-- in fact, he was first ordained there. He was also the first rector of the Seminary in Denver, after ++Chaput re-opened it.
Naturally, Bishop Aquila has spent a bit of time in Rome. Since his ordination as Bishop, he has absolutely transformed North Dakota during his tenure there. With a specialization in liturgy, and also with great experience in catechesis (he has been on a USCCB committee for both), it is no surprise that Fargo Diocese is doing as well as it is.
In addition, he is a staunch defender of human life, and no stranger to entering into the Public Forum, either.
For all of these reasons, not that my own opinion makes any difference, I think he would be an excellent candidate to fill the void that Archbishop Chaput has left in the Mile High City. Given the raised profile of the Church in Denver, the candidate would have to be someone of the caliber of Bishop Aquila, and also someone of his knowledge of the mid-west and mountain regions.
As for a date for announcing this, just to keep it interesting...I wouldn't be at all surprised if whoever the successor is going to be is announced before Christmas of this year, perhaps even as early as the beginning of October; however, I am sure that the passing of our beloved Nuncio may have slowed down things a bit.