Paul Fenton fired after 1 season as Wild general manager
1 P.M. UPDATE
The Minnesota Wild have made the firing of GM Paul Fenton official, releasing a statement from team owner Craig Leipold.
"After giving much thought to this difficult decision, I informed Paul today that he was not the right fit for our organization going forward," said Leipold. "I believe we have a good hockey team, a team that will compete for a playoff spot this year, and I look forward to hiring a General Manager that will help us win a Stanley Cup. I would like to thank Paul for his time with the Wild and wish him and his family the best in the future."
A search for a new GM has already begun and assistant GM Tom Kurvers will serve as the acting GM in the meantime.
12 P.M.
In a shocking report Tuesday, the Minnesota Wild has fired General Manager Paul Fenton.
The news was first reported by The Athletic's Michael Russo, who writes:
"No one incident caused the ousting, but the lingering fallout from a series of arguably bad trades and other personnel matters, along with internal issues that, sources said, created low morale throughout the hockey operations department and dressing room forced Leipold to make the move before Fenton could even manage his second season with the Wild."
KSTP has since confirmed that Fenton was fired in a phone call Tuesday morning.
Russo adds that Wild assistant GM will likely be named the interim acting GM for the NHL club, and that an expedited search for a full-time GM will begin immediately.
Fenton spent just one season with the Wild and the team missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, and while he brought in Ryan Donato and Kevin Fiala, two young forwards who could become very good players this year and beyond, he also traded Nino Niederreiter to Carolina for Victor Rask.
Rask was virtually a liability on the ice for the Wild while Niederreiter shined with the Hurricanes.
More to come. This is a developing story.
