1. Experience matters.
Fenton has served at the right hand of arguably the most respected general manager in the NHL today, Nashville's David Poile. Under Poile and Fenton's leadership, the Predators have become one of the League's most consistently good franchises by executing savvy trades and supplementing those with quality draft choices, both early and late in the process.
An underrated aspect of the hire: Fenton has also served as GM of the Predators' American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee, where the Admirals have become one of the league's model franchises.
Fenton has seen it all in his time in pro hockey, from a playing career that spanned more than 400 games, to scout, to chief scout, to director of player personnel and assistant GM. He'll lean on all of the experience now as he embarks on his first opportunity to run his own operation.
2. Big names litter his resume.
Whether it was the drafting of Paul Kariya, which occurred in his first draft as a scout with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993, to the trade for Teemu Selanne, or the drafting of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber in 2003 and Pekka Rinne in 2004, Fenton has been front and center in moves involving some of the NHL's premier players.
Since taking over as assistant GM in 2006, Fenton has been instrumental in the drafting and developing of Nashville's roster, one that that reached the Stanley Cup Final as recently as last season.
During that time, he's had a hand in picking Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Craig Smith, Mattias Ekholm, Austin Watson, Kevin Fiala, Viktor Arvidsson and Seth Jones, among many others.
In some cases, they've provided the core for Nashville's current club. In others, they've been traded to acquire others (think Jones for Ryan Johansen).
Nashville has also traded for Mike Fisher, Filip Forsberg, Calle Jarnkrok, James Neal, P.K. Subban and Kyle Turris over the last seven years. All of those players were critical parts of Nashville's Cup finalist team.
3. He's a motivated man.
At 58 years old, Fenton is getting his first opportunity to run his own hockey operation. For a long time, he's been viewed as the heir apparent to Poile in Nashville, but with the Predators' continued success and Poile's desire to stick around, Fenton's had to be patient.
When you're working for a man as talented as Poile, you can afford to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. Having a chance to re-join owner Craig Leipold, for whom he worked for several years in Nashville, provides Fenton with a comfort level and a trust that would have been tough to come by elsewhere.
Nashville's place in the League is very similar to that of Minnesota's. Both have had little trouble getting to the postseason in recent years. Where it's been a challenge is getting over the hump, and while the Predators haven't won a Stanley Cup, they've played for it.
Leipold said last month that he has
no interest in a complete rebuild
. Bringing in a man in Fenton who likely shares a similar ambition -- and has worked in a similar environment for the past decade -- means the pressure won't be too much for him. It's the kind of challenge Fenton has been undertaking for years.
