Paul Fenton takes over as general manager of a Wild team that has made the Stanley Cup playoffs for six consecutive seasons.
To team owner Craig Leipold, that wasn't good enough. Leipold joined Fenton and coach Bruce Boudreau, and team captains Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, at an introductory news conference Tuesday morning at Xcel Energy Center to stress the need for a new set of eyes on a team that lost in the first round for the fourth time, third consecutive, in those six seasons.
"To win a Stanley Cup, that's our goal from Day 1," Fenton said. "I'm here to work, I'm here to put a stamp on this thing. ... This does not need to be a complete overhaul.
"I am passionate about what I do. I am very family oriented. This organization has a very good substance to it ... I want to bring us together as a family. The biggest thing I'm going to bring is inclusiveness and passionate people who want us to win.
Said Leipold: "There was a strong field of candidates. What did it for me was his overall experience, his strength as a player evaluator, his work ethic and most importantly, he wants to win a Stanley Cup."
Leipold said the people he interviewed, including former NHL GMs, told him, "We are a team that is just missing a piece. We're a damn good team. We just maybe need to get to the next level, and what does that take? Hopefully Paul can get us to the next level."
Said Boudreau: "We had nine new guys in the lineup this year, and that's still tweaking. We're not going to sit still. If it's subtracting one guy to add another, then whatever he decides to do, I'm going to run with. In the end, we'll both go to bed at night wanting to win the Stanley Cup, and it just eats away at us watching these last four teams go at it."
Fenton comes to Minnesota by way of Nashville, where he worked under Predators general manager David Poile for 20 years, including the past 12 as assistant general manager. The 58-year-old former NHL left winger now gets a chance to run a team on his own. Poile and Fenton were known for potentially risky trades, and it seems likely the new GM will be active in that category in a league where salary caps limit overly active free agency.
Leipold said Fenton, the favorite for the GM spot from the start, clearly emerged during last week's second interview: "He was No. 1 on my list, and stayed No. 1."
Chuck Fletcher's contract was not renewed after nine seasons, opening the door for the Fenton signing. The Wild's salary cap issues linger under the shadow of twin 13-year, $98 million deals given in 2012 to Parise and Suter. Koivu has two years left on his deal, and all have no-trade clauses.
Fenton's immediate tasks, after putting together his staff, will be preparing for the June 22 entry draft and dealing with restricted free agents Matt Dumba, who had a career high 50 points as a defenseman, and 33-goal scorer Jason Zucker. He does have a veteran coach to lean on as well.
"I don't think it's going to be a difficult transition at all," Boudreau said. "We're hockey guys, and when we get together we're going to be talking hockey all the time. That's what we love to do. He's spent a lot of years looking at the minors, I've been a lot of years in the minors. I think it should end up to be a really good relationship."
Said Fenton: "What we're going to work on, the two of us, is how we get to the next level. We'll need to build the relationship, how to get him to trust me ... I'm not going to tell Bruce how to coach, I've never been a coach. I can evaluate and tell you what I see, but the coach is going to coach and the manager is going to manage."
Fenton also will take on the role of alternate governor after signing a multiyear contract and will oversee the Wild's hockey operations department, including player personnel, the coaching staff, scouting department and minor league operations.
