Fiala concerned about his future in Minnesota after Fenton is fired.

The Minnesota Wild made one of the more shocking moves in recent memory this summer when they made the decision to fire general manager Paul Fenton. The move was an odd one on many levels, for one Fenton had been in the position for a relatively short period of time and it is unusual to see that kind of turnover among general managers in the National Hockey League, and the other big oddity here was the timing of the firing as well. 

Fenton had been allowed to conduct the draft for the Wild and even made significant moves leading up to his firing, but based on the comments made by owner Craig Leipold the organization felt that a move had to be made for the long-term health of the organization. Although we have heard plenty regarding Fenton's departure, one thing we have not heard a great deal about is how it has impacted the players on the roster. Fenton made some rather controversial trades during his tenure as the Minnesota Wild's general manager and you have to wonder how the players he acquired feel about him being fired so quickly.

At the very top of that list has to be young forward Kevin Fiala, a player that was acquired from the Nashville Predators in a trade that saw former Wild forward Mikael Granlund going back the other way. The trade was heavily criticized at the time it was consummated and with Fiala a restricted free agent he entered the summer without a contract. Reports suggest that Fiala and his agents were in the middle of discussing a new deal with the Wild when Fenton was suddenly fired, leaving Fiala in limbo. 

In recent comments reported by the NHL's official website, Fiala admitted that at first he was very uncertain about his future. Thankfully though he has received assurances from Wild owner Craig Leipold directly it seems.

"I was a little concerned with Fenton gone and what's going on now," Fiala said as per NHL.com. "But they still want to keep me, so there's no concern about that now."

In spite of the fact that Fenton has left him in a rather difficult and uncomfortable position, Fiala still had nothing but praise for the former general manager.

"He's a great person and he has had an impact on my life, not just my career," Fiala said. "It was emotional on that day (Fenton was fired) and a few days after, but at the end of the day it's business. That maybe sounds stupid, but it is. For me right now it's just focusing on the season."

Obviously the Wild did not see it that way.