Building a winning team is as much an art as a science. Blending experienced veterans, untested rookies, and players added via trade or free agency is akin to a chemistry experiment in a science lab, Although the individual components are known, once blended together the outcome can be surprisingly good or it can blow up.
The Predators resident mad scientist, GM David Poile has been very adept at blending all these components into a successful team, not only this season, but throughout the history of the franchise.
This has been acknowledged once again by his peers, the 29 other General Managers in the League, as for the third year in a row, Poile has been nominated as GM of the Year. The award has been in existence for only three years, and this speaks volumes about the job he has done with the Predators, and more so the perception of his fellow General Managers.
Poile has guided the Predators from an expansion franchise to one that is consistently in the playoffs, all in a small market and with a limited budget. Additionally, Poile is the only GM to have served for over 1,000 games for two different teams, having previously served as the GM of the Washington Capitals.
His experience and the hockey lineage in his family (his father, Bud, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder) have allowed Poile to maintain a long term perspective about not only the development of the players in Nashville, but the development of the coaching staff as well. Stability has been the hallmark of this franchise, and that characteristic has been vital during some tumultuous stretches in the history of the Predators.
Along with Poile, Dale Tallon of the Florida Panthers and Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues have been nominated. The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards ceremony on June 20th from Las Vegas.
Congratulations to David for the recognition of the work to build an expansion franchise to one that is contending for the Stanley Cup.
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