Love it or hate it, Paul Fenton certainly concluded his first trade deadline as Minnesota Wild general manager with a splash.



Ever since Fenton decided to start dismantling the core of the Chuck Fletcher-era, it’s been eventful. First came the swap of Nino Niederreiter for Victor Rask. Then came the flip of Charlie Coyle for Ryan Donato and a fifth-round pick.



But 2o minutes before Monday’s deadline, Fenton made his boldest — and perhaps, most controversial — move yet, sending Mikael Granlund, the franchise leader in points since 2013-14, to Nashville in exchange for 22-year-old forward Kevin Fiala.



Some feel this seems to be another instance of Fenton not quite getting what was expected in return for a good NHL player. Everyone in Minnesota knows what the Predators are getting with Granlund — a proven top-line forward, a gifted playmaker who you can pencil in for 65 points a year. He’s great, and he’ll no doubt be a...