Everyone knows that it takes time in order to change a franchise, and no one expected Paul Fenton to come in and instantly make this Wild team into a juggernaut. That said there is expectation that what has been the norm for the past nine years would not be the new norm though.

Beginning with the draft, the suspect first selection, with more notably impact players still on the board has been a hallmark of the Chuck Fletcher regime.

Free agent signings of Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, and Andrew Hammond give the impression that nothing has changed at the top, with merely the names changing at the bottom of the Wild roster.

Andrew Hammond is a minor league goalie that brings some experience to add depth to the organization. In all honesty Hammond will have no impact on the Minnesota Wild roster this upcoming season, and if he does, the team is in trouble.

Hendricks and Fehr are no better than Matt Cullen and Daniel Winnick and some can argue, they are in reality a downgrade for the Wild.

The signings of Greg Pateryn and J.T. Brown make much more sense as they did address needs. Pateryn adds the size and physicality to a relatively soft Wild defense, while Brown brings speed and grit, with offensive upside. Both players are 28 years old and the change of scenery may just be the spark that ignites their careers.

Again, no one expects Paul Fenton to be a miracle worker, as he was handed a very tough situation with a cap strapped team. The need to resign RFAs Matt Dumba and Jason Zucker who are both coming off career seasons and deserving significant raises.

Another issue is that two of the Fenton's most marketable trade chips, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter are coming off injury plagued down years. That presents a difficult scenario when trying assess their true value, to determine what would present a good return in a trade.

So yes, a miracle is not expected, but some creativity in transitioning the Wild roster is.

Wild owner Craig Leipold, was emphatic when he stated that this was not a rebuild, when he made the decision to let Chuck Fletcher go.

That was prior to interviewing any of the candidates vying for the Wild GM position.

My question to each of the candidates, would naturally then be "given the current state of the Wild roster and salary cap, what is your short-term plan to make changes heading into next season?"

Another question should have been given the limited amount of time between the hiring and the NHL draft and opening of free agency, is this short-term plan viable?

We have heard all of the excuses for a long time. Quite honestly excuses are not acceptable, and shouldn't be unless they are out of your control, and then they are not really excuses, but are a result of circumstances.

The Suter and Parise contracts are often spoken about as hamstringing the Wild. To a degree they do, but in reality both Suter and Parise are very productive players on the Wild roster and are being paid accordingly. The only issue with their contracts at this point may be the length of the deals, but today that is not an issue and the money is not as outrageous as many make it appear.

The Koivu contract is the one that is most puzzling. The fatal flaw of most professional sports franchises can be traced to loyalty and overvaluing of your own talent.

Now loyalty is a tricky topic, and one that has multiple sides. Loyalty is a good characteristic, usually, but like it or not in today's sports world, loyalty is secondary to big business.

Mikko Koivu has been a very big part of the Minnesota Wild and their progression to a perennial playoff team. That said, his better days are behind him, combined with the fact that prior to the 2017-18 season he was entering the final year of a contract that paid him very well for his contributions to the team. But as the captain of the Wild he was given ample time and more than adequate support as far as transactions were concerned to get this team over the hump.

Koivu was inexplicably rewarded with a two year extension prior to puck drop on the 2017-18 season and now is part of the problem with the Wild cap scenario.

Now none of that is Fenton's fault, but definitely part of his dilemma.

Getting back to creativity, that comes in many different forms, but it requires a forward thinker that can seize opportunity when it presents itself. Not only when it becomes obvious.

When I say obvious, I mean making moves when everyone else does, such as at the draft, or on July 1st, and the trade deadline. Being able to see an opportunity where a player or team has put themselves in a no-win situation, creating value in a buy low scenario, and exploring every option in order to see if that player can be had at a reasonable price.

The Hoffman situation is the latest such scenario.

We often look at the contenders and see how it seems that they are always at the forefront in getting the player or players that they absolutely need and usually at a price that is palatable not to upset the core of what is already in place.

The Wild on the other hand have appeared to always be chasing the missing pieces based on what is readily available, almost never making a proactive deal.

That we hope is about to change, with Paul Fenton at the helm. Again he is going to need time in order to really transform the Chuck Fletcher team into a Fenton organization.

I still expect something to happen with the roster, and Fenton to put his stamp on the Wild team before the puck drops again for real. The Wild roster will look different, and when I say different not just the normal bottom of the lineup guys that become interchangeable from year to year.

There needs to be a significant change and Fenton is working hard to make that happen.

Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17

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