Fenton preaches patience at Wild Town Hall

ST. PAUL -- Paul Fenton hears the chatter.
The Wild general manager can hardly fill his gas tank or visit the grocery store without a fan offering his or her two cents on the franchise's future. He even recently suggested to his wife, Nona, that he should stop wearing so many Wild golf shirts in public.
"I've had a lot of people give me their input," Fenton smiled as he told Wild.com after Wednesday night's Wild Town Hall State of the Team Address at Xcel Energy Center. "We all have high expectations that this team is going to do well."

But Fenton gets it. This isn't vitriol. It's vehemence. The same passion he hopes to bring to the organization in spades.
And the same hunger for a deep playoff run -- or better -- on display at the Wild's home rink Wednesday.
Together with coach Bruce Boudreau and Assistant General Manager Tom Kurvers, Fenton fielded pointed questions from fans in the audience and on Twitter, touching on topics from potential trades to the club's farm system to its new practice facility inside TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center. The trio's overarching message? Patience.

"I don't know if there is a medicine that tells you to be patient, but you've just got to believe what you know and what you see and gauge it and see if it's fair," Fenton said. "At some point, we'll be making acquisitions, trades, free agents more so than we did on July 1, but that's all just part of it."
Several depth
additions at the beginning of free agency
and the re-signings of breakout players
Jason Zucker
and
Matt Dumba
aside, the larger tweaks demanded by owner Craig Leipold when he changed general managers earlier this offseason are coming, Fenton reassured the crowd and live broadcast and online streaming audience. But change for the sake of change doesn't tie back to the Wild's aim at advancing past the postseason's first round -- something it's done just twice during six straight Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances.
More than a handful of Fenton's NHL counterparts tested Fenton's restraint throughout the offseason, he said.
"I talked to every general manager, and for the most part, a lot of people are trying to feel you out and play the game," Fenton said in response to a follow-up inquiry from FOX Sports North moderator Anthony LaPanta. "It's a poker game. I had a lot of guys that were playing war and threw down a three and looked for an ace.
"They know that we don't know our team as well as we want to yet, and they're trying to steal them. I guess I don't blame them, but they're not going to get anything."
So when training camp starts next month, Fenton and Kurvers will continue to lead with their ears. Get to know their players. Peak inside the engine and see what requires tinkering before opening the toolbox all the way.
Look at a team like 2018 champion Washington, Kurvers said. That franchise knocked on the door for years before finally busting through.
"Every year, you look at the last winner and try to emulate what they've done," Kurvers said. "A lot of things have to be in place. You have to be good to arrive and challenge for it, and this team's been good. It hasn't come together in every way in the playoffs, but this ... has been a strong team."

The Wild will try to grade a new road in an increasingly competitive Central Division. Kurvers, who spent the past decade scouting for the Tampa Bay Lightning, called the St. Louis Blues the most improved team among the grouping.
But while Fenton has sensed the eagerness for improved results, the enthusiasm for hockey present in this market is just as palpable, he said. It might just require a tad more endurance in the short term.
Just don't use that kind of language when it comes to his head coach -- at least not when it comes to getting the season going.
"You know what? This sounds really stupid, but I get so excited in a situation like this, because we're talking hockey, which means it's right around the corner," Boudreau said. "I've been here two years. I think it's time we took the next step.
"The next step means playing into May and June."
Related:
- Wild announces single-game ticket on-sale date - Fenton stays busy during first July 1 as Wild GM