Editor’s Note: This story was included in The Athletic’s Best of 2019. See the full list.



How’s it possible that a man who worked so hard and for so long to land his dream job could lose his grip on it so quickly?



The 14-month reign of Paul Fenton — who was fired Tuesday as Minnesota Wild general manager — can be characterized as death by a thousand cuts.



As owner Craig Leipold said during Tuesday’s news conference, it was not one big issue that did Fenton in. It was a buildup of never-ceasing small things, none of which when taken singularly may seem like a big deal.



But when you compile them into a list and examine them as a whole, it’s easy to see how Fenton in such a short time could inflict such dysfunction on an organization that has been well-run for nearly 20 years.



All season, but especially the second half and into the offseason, there was often some sort of fire, ranging from...