During the doldrums of Summer, there isn't a whole lot of hockey to report on. A signing here and signing there. That is why it is peculiar to see a firing of a general manager smack dab in the middle of it all.
Paul Fenton had only been general manager of the Minnesota Wild for a season before finding himself in the unemployment line. In his time with the team, Fenton had a few trades that raised some eyebrows. In addition to that, he signed Mats Zuccarello to a massive deal at the beginning of the month.
Most of all, it shows that the NHL may be heading in a direction that is for the betterment of the league. If a GM is messing up, he shouldn't get a long leash. Trading away players and getting paltry returns shouldn't be rewarded.
Bit by bit the NHL is changing the way they view player contracts and transactions overall. The next step will be eliminating an old boys club network that reuses every GM and ensures that the same 30 to 40 people get the jobs.
The league is changing, it is just taking incremental steps to get to a better spot.
