The Wild made their first major acquisition of the offseason Monday, tabbing Paul Fenton as their next general manager exactly a month after cutting ties with Chuck Fletcher once the season ended.
"It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Paul Fenton as the General Manager of the Minnesota Wild," owner Craig Leipold said in a statement. "Paul is uniquely suited for this job having played 10 years of professional hockey and holding 25 years of management experience in the NHL. His gift of evaluating talent is obvious in Nashville's roster and recent success. My relationship with Paul goes back to my early days in Nashville and I know that Wild hockey fans are going to love Paul's infectious passion for the game and unsurpassed work ethic. He's the right person to deliver a Stanley Cup to the State of Hockey."
The team will have a news conference Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. to introduce Fenton.
Fenton spent the past 20 seasons with Nashville, including the past 12 as assistant general manager, during which time he helped develop a dynamic core for the Predators through effective drafting, shrewd trades and key free-agent signings.
Fenton oversaw amateur player development, managed the pro and amateur scouting staffs and advised general manager David Poile on player personnel decisions.
From 2003 to 2008, he coordinated the team's draft efforts _ with defensemen like the Wild's Ryan Suter and Shea Weber among those picks. He also was the GM for the Predators' American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Fenton, 58, interviewed for the Wild GM job in 2009 when Fletcher was hired; Leipold owned the Predators from 1998 to 2007.
Leipold and team President Matt Majka conducted interviews to find a successor who will bring a fresh outlook to the team without orchestrating a massive overhaul. Assistant GMs Bill Zito (Blue Jackets) and Tom Fitzgerald (Devils) also interviewed for the position, a source said, with the search appearing to come down to Fenton and Fitzgerald.
The Wild were on the lookout for a new GM after announcing they would not renew Fletcher's contract when the team's season ended with another early playoff exit, as they were eliminated in five games by the Jets. Fletcher was GM for nine seasons, including six consecutive playoff berths that followed the joint signing of Suter and Zach Parise in 2012 to matching 13-year, $98 million deals. The Wild have lost in the first round four of the past six seasons.
In cutting Fletcher loose, Leipold said, "What I want is a new set of eyes and take a look at where our strengths and our weaknesses are. Somebody will come in that doesn't feel an ownership to certain players, and I want someone to take a look at what we can do to tweak our team.
"I want someone to help me with a plan that for the next three or four years [is] to win a Stanley Cup."
None of the key Wild players are free agents, although 23-year-old defenseman Matt Dumba, coming off a 50-point season, and 26-year-old winger Jason Zucker (33 goals) are restricted free agents and eligible for arbitration.
A native of Springfield, Mass., Fenton played college hockey at Boston University before an 11-year professional career that included 100 goals in 411 NHL games. The left winger's best season came when he scored 32 goals for the Jets in 1989-90.
After retiring in 1992, Fenton became a scout in the Anaheim organization from 1993-98, when he moved to Nashville.
