After being eliminated from the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Nashville Predators looked awful and that is due to the general manager David Poile.
David Poile has served as the Nashville Predators general manager since they entered the NHL in 1997. For 22 years all he has to show for is one Conference Championship (2016-17), one Presidents’ Trophy (2017-18), two Division Championships (2017-18, 2018-19), one Regular Season Western Conference Champions (2017-18 and is a joke accomplishment), and zero Stanley Cups.
Poile is the longest active tenured general manager in the NHL. Yet he has not amounted nearly as much success as other GMs like Ken Holland, Stan Bowman, Brian MacLellan, and others. Under Poile’s rule, the Predators have won 51 games and lost 60 in 111 playoff games.
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In his 22 seasons as GM, he has made some controversial trades, especially the ones he made at the 2018-19 NHL Trade Deadline. At this year’s trade deadline, Poile traded for Cody McLeod (0 games played in the 2018-19 playoffs), Brian Boyle (three games played and two assists in 2018-19 playoffs), Mikael Granlund (six games played with a goal and assist in the 2018-19 playoffs) and Wayne Simmonds (two games played with no points in the 2018-19 playoffs).
Almost all of his deadline additions that were supposed to be impact performers for the Predators in the playoffs were busts. Besides Boyle, who missed a couple of games because of an appendix injury, nobody else did anything that impacted the series or even a game. Simmonds was the most disappointing acquisition as he was a non-factor in the two games played before he left the rest of the series with an injury, then being named a healthy scratch.
It is officially time to announce that the trade for Simmonds was a bust for the Predators. Not only did they give up a coveted prospect in Ryan Hartman, but they also gave up a fourth-round draft pick. Simmonds owes the team and the fans an apology for his lack of toughness and contributions.
While Granlund did have a goal and assist, there was nothing that Granlund did that Kevin Fiala could not have done. In fact, Fiala is arguably better in the playoffs and provides more stability and playmaking ability with the puck.
Why the Predators chose to not play Cody McLeod in the last game or two of the series is absolutely crazy. With Boyle nursing an appendix injury, there was nobody in the lineup that could provide a physical presence. Yet, the one guy the Predators brought in for a physical presence they did not even utilize. Instead, the Predators played cowardly and refused to go down the middle of the ice while also taking punishing hits anytime they entered the Stars zone.
After 22 years, the Predators need a new general manager that can shift this team around and hopefully give the team a winning playoff record. It is incredible that Poile has had his job for this long given their lack of playoff success in those 22 years.
The fans of Nashville deserve better than the products Poile has put on the ice. And if Poile is gone, it might not be bad to get rid of Peter Laviolette and set a new identity for the team and fan base.