Dan Wallace: Fenton Not Winning Anyone Over With 1st Pick

NHL team scouts pay a lot more attention to each other than media people who make draft lists. He might have been ranked lower a lot of places, but if there is one other team willing to take him in the first round soon after the Wild, moving down wasn't an option. It's not the sort of thing you can really judge a team on, because you never know what information the GM had, it's not stuff that gets out there very often.

Wow. Not sure what the hell theyre thinking here. Disappointed, with all the talent on the board they take a guy who projected as a 2nd or 3rd rounder..... In fentons defense, he did say Flahr was running the draft. Looks like another dud for the mild....

NHL team scouts pay a lot more attention to each other than media people who make draft lists. He might have been ranked lower a lot of places, but if there is one other team willing to take him in the first round soon after the Wild, moving down wasn't an option. It's not the sort of thing you can really judge a team on, because you never know what information the GM had, it's not stuff that gets out there very often.
- Antilles

Easy for you to say, your team moved up to draft a high ceiling guy the wild could've had....

Why the hell is Flahr still around? I thought that Leipold wanted to make some real changes. Christ, even Filip Johansson was totally shocked. Typical "safe" pick that we're used to in the late 1st round. Stanley Cup, here we come!!!

Wow... So disappointing... Where's the "splash" Fenton was going to make??? He made a splash alright, a full on belly flop.

I'm not sure what the right move was sitting at 24. But, I'm fairly sure this wasn't it. I was hoping they would move down and gather more picks. Defense is always good, but unless the scouts know something that no one else was reporting, this kid is projected to be a slightly above average player. Looking at all the mock drafts, NO ONE had him going in the 1st round. It's very disappointing to see them go D again versus finding a young true goal scorer. All I've heard for the last 2 months is that the Wild need a right handed shot winger that can pot goals.

I agree that this was a "safe" pick.

From Hockey Wilderness:
It’s an off-the-board kind of pick (at least for the first round). With skilled forwards like Dominik Bokk, Ryan McLeod, and Joe Veleno still on the board, or more skilled defenseman like Rasmus Sandin and Bode Wilde, Brent Flahr’s lasting impression on this team is going to be the selection (AND REACH) of this Swedish defenseman.

If Fenton is playing nice for these picks in this years draft in order to make changes to the scouting staff after the draft, I am ok with this pick, However, if he went along with Flair on this pick and doesn't make changes, I blame the new GM. This was a pick that had Flair all over it. Its a long line of bad picks by this scouting department and the Fletcher regime. This kind of crap needs to stop, this team needs scoring, not another mediocre D-man.

Why the hell is Flahr still around? I thought that Leipold wanted to make some real changes. Christ, even Filip Johansson was totally shocked. Typical "safe" pick that we're used to in the late 1st round. Stanley Cup, here we come!!!
- Isojoki

Flahr and the scouting staff are still here because there would not have been enough time to put togeter a team ahead of this draft. Remember, Fenton was only hired a month ago. I expect to see a complete overhaul in the near future, Fentons first REAL draft for this team will be next year.

I am not completely surprised by this pick. Surprised by the player, but not the position. If memory serves me right, Fenton (or Nashville) builds from the D and the up. And I don't think Fenton had all that much to do with this pick, as it was Flahr's probable last draft with the Wild. I, too, think that next year's draft is where Fenton will have more of a hand in.