Nashville Predators: Poile Wins NHL General Manager of the Year

Nashville Predators GM David Poile took home the NHL General Manager of the Year accolade for his gutsy trading and solid team building.

The Nashville Predators fell just short of their first Stanley Cup in their historic 2016-2017 season, but still managed to bring home some silverware. Among the accolades is the award for general manager of the year, given to Nashville’s David Poile. Somewhat puzzlingly, actor David Harbour of Stranger Things presented the distinction at the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas.

Poile has unquestionably built a successful franchise in Nashville. During the past year, he worked his magic diligently. The climax of the season, the franchise’s first conference championship, cemented 2016-2017 as his flagship achievement in the NHL thus far. Of course, before the season even began, he made headlines with a true blockbuster trade.

Calculated leap of faith

On June 29, 2016, David Poile and Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin made history. In an extremely rare one-for-one exchange of players, Nashville’s Shea Weber and Montreal’s P.K. Subban traded places. Weber, of course, is a legitimate Predators legend. Similarly, Subban possesses the hearts of fans in Montreal. On the ice, however, it’s hard to imagine two less comparable defensemen.

Subban’s style is flashy, daring, and provocative. Rumors of his on-ice antics polarizing the Habs locker room circulated throughout his tenure with the team. Weber is a textbook example of the conservative NHL defenseman. Strong, reliable, and hardworking, his style is unlikely to ruffle even the flimsiest of feathers (excluding that one incident against Detroit).

David Poile saw an opportunity in Bergevin’s perplexing disdain for Subban and Montreal’s hypercritical culture, and pushed the issue. In one of the most dramatic trades of the last decade, Poile changed the entire conversation about the upcoming NHL season. While Nashville fans continue to lament the loss of Shea Weber, acquisition of the elite P.K. Subbam was a worthwhile venture.

Trusting the right players

It’s not uncommon for star players to come and go from different franchises. Most teams and fanbases wait anxiously for the next elite talent to don their colors. Great teams, however, must be able to find talent in more creative ways. For David Poile, a shining example is Viktor Arvidsson.

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Arvidsson was drafted at 112 overall back in 2014. For the past three years, he’s made less than $700k annually. Many onlookers were blown away by his performance this past season, which was undoubtedly his breakout year. In 2016-2017, he tallied 61 points (31G, 30A), 45 more than his previous maximum. Using mental math, each point Arvidsson scored in the most recent season cost the team just over $10,000. From an NHL perspective, that is an absolute bargain.

David Poile, of course, was likely not that surprised by Arvy’s huge season. In fact, he’ll probably expect similar production in the next several years from the young Swedish winger. Especially when you can deploy him alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen, 2014’s 112th pick will remain a first-line staple for the Nashville Predators.

Inspired postseason

The GM of the Year award only recognizes regular season performance. That said, David Poile’s exemplary work was on display during the playoffs. The Predators were predicted from the start to have a successful 2016-2017 season. However, their mediocre regular season performance saw them as the lowest seed in the Western Conference standings heading into the playoffs. The team turned serious heads after sweeping the 1st placed Chicago, but that was simply the beginning.

The team’s postseason performance exemplified Poile’s mastery on a grand scale. While teams who relied on the talents of a single player fell short, the Predators marched on. League-leading postseason scoring depth provided ample evidence for the abilities of the GM, as 19 different Predators players found the back of the net in those 22 games. With those numbers, it’s hard to argue that the Nashville Predators are anything less than a well-built team.

Well-deserved recognition

The NHL General Manager of the Year Award is voted on by a combination of all general managers, NHL executives, and members of the NHL media. David Poile received 18 votes for 1st place, three times as many as the next highest candidate, Edmonton’s Peter Chiarelli.

Below is the full statement from the NHL in support of Poile’s nomination:

"Poile’s work helped the Predators earn a postseason berth for the 10th time in 13 seasons and advance to the Conference Finals for the first time. Nashville’s leading scorer Viktor Arvidsson, selected 112th overall in 2014, became the latest key player drafted and developed under Poile, joining a list that includes goaltender Pekka Rinne and defensemen Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. Poile also has added several influential players via trade, with defenseman P.K. Subban (June 2016) following forwards Ryan Johansen (January 2016), James Neal (June 2014), Filip Forsberg (April 2013) and Mike Fisher (February 2011). Poile is a finalist for the fourth time (previously 2010 through 2012) and in quest of his first win."

Next: Top 5 Draft Picks in Predators' History

The Nashville Predators are fortunate to be under the direction of David Poile, who will certainly look for another shot to take home an even bigger prize next season.

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