Toronto Maple Leafs: Ranking All 32 NHL General Managers
By Jeff Borsuk
The 22nd Ranked GM – David Poile (Nashville Predators)
If Wilson’s 18 year run is impressive, prepare to be blown away. David Poile has been the GM of the Nashville Predators since its inception in 1997. Having worked in the NHL since the 1970s, Poile previously worked as the general manager of the Washington Capitals before he took the reins of the Predators 24 years ago.
The Good – Poile had an excellent season with the Preds in 2016-17. That year, his team advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for its only appearance there. Thanks to moves such as trading Shea Weber to the Montreal Canadiens for P.K. Subban and signing Yannick Weber and Matt Carle, the team excelled. It also helped that Viktor Arvidsson had an outstanding season.
The Preds ended up losing the finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins but Poile was rewarded for his team’s success. That year, he won his one and only Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.
The Bad – A part of the general manager’s job is to protect their valuable assets. That can be difficult with expansion drafts. Poile failed to protect James Neal and didn’t make any trades ahead of time to ensure that Vegas wouldn’t claim the crafty winger. The Golden Knights took advantage of Poile’s error and snatched Neal and his strong play.
The Ugly – P.K. Subban has been a fan favourite everywhere he’s played. That’s why fans were upset when Poile dealt the blue liner to the Devils for a pair of second-round picks and a couple of prospects, Jeremy Davies and Steven Santini. The move was made in order to clear space for Poile to sign Matt Duchene to a massive contract.
Trading away Subban wasn’t great but the contract the Predators gave Duchene is ugly. They signed him for seven years and $56M. That’s an AAV of $8M. The contract also carries a no-trade clause in its final three seasons. This season, Duchene registered 13 points in 64 games. He still has five years left on the contract.