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Draft is for the future, but what about short term for Wild?

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — As soon as the NHL Draft wrapped up over the weekend, the only thing Wild general manager Paul Fenton wanted to do was talk about the influx of prospects. He pleaded with reporters in the immediate aftermath, hoping to keep the focus solely on the draft class rather than his plan for the rest of the offseason.

“There’s certainly going to be adjustments, whether it’s today or tomorrow,” Fenton said. “I’d just rather concentrate on the draft right now.”

Unfortunately for Fenton, that’s not how this thing works. He doesn’t get to dictate when he’s asked about certain things, especially when it comes to a week-and-a-half stretch that will more than likely define his tenure in the Twin Cities and how much longer it lasts.

As much as the draft might help improve the Wild in the long term, and Fenton was ecstatic with the haul, it does nothing to move the needle in the short term.

It’s not like the second coming of Wayne Gretzky is walking through that door.

Frankly, when it comes to prospects the Wild selected over the weekend, even if a couple of them develop into legitimate NHL superstars, they are at least a couple of seasons away from making an impact.

It’s safe to say Fenton doesn’t have that much time. Not with the Wild on the verge of becoming more or less an afterthought in the Twin Cities.

Although it’s probably not fair to say Fenton is on the chopping block, not yet at least, he has a lot work to do to prove to Wild owner Craig Leipold that he’s the right guy for the job.

His decision to trade away Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund last season seemed a little misguided at the time and looks even worse after having let it simmer for a few months. Let’s just say the trio of Victor Rask, Ryan Donato and Kevin Fiala haven’t done much to inspire confidence so far.

To make matters worse, the rest of the Central Division is only getting better, starting with the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. Heck, even if the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets take step back next season, the Dallas Stars are a playoff team, the Colorado Avalanche look bound for for greatness over the next decade and the Chicago Blackhawks have done a good job expediting their rebuild.

That leaves the Wild in desperate need of some savvy moves this offseason to stay competitive. They are fresh off a last-place finish in the Central Division and at least on paper look destined to repeat.

Unless Fenton does something about it, particularly over the next week and a half.

It starts with the interview process, a period that allows him to start chatting with free agents ahead of the signing period, which begins on July 1.

“I’d love to be active in it, to some degree,” Fenton said. “Some of that is determined by the players as far as what the opportunities are.”

It’s unclear what exact Fenton has up his sleeve. Or if he has anything up his sleeve.

Will he throw big money at Joe Pavelski? Will he try to woo local kid Anders Lee? Will he opt for a reclamation project in Wayne Simmonds?

All of those options are on the table, as is the Wild striking out completely, if free agents decide they have better options.

If that’s the case, Fenton might have to inject some life into the team with a trade. He has been actively shopping Jason Zucker, though he appears to have had a change of heart over the past couple of weeks, perhaps realizing he needs to get a good player in return to appease the restless fan base.

After Zucker, the tradeable assets on the Wild roster start to thin out, especially considering Fenton doesn’t appear willing to trade someone like Jared Spurgeon. He met with agent Eustace King at the draft regarding an extension, and the sides appear motivated to get a deal done at some point.

“It’s a beginning,” Fenton said. “It’s a way to just start to introduce that we want to have him back. He’s aware of it, and we’re going to go forward with it.”

Maybe the fact that Fenton didn’t make a trade at the draft proves the market is dried up, though he was quick to argue the contrary afterward.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Fenton said. “I’m not going to say whether I want change or not.”

In a few weeks, he won’t need to. His moves, or lack thereof, will speak for themselves.

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