Barry Trotz set to replace longtime Predators GM David Poile
The Nashville Predators organization underwent a seismic shift on Sunday with news that longtime president of hockey operations and general manager David Poile will retire at the end of the league year.
The Predators have already named a successor for the 73-year-old. Per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the franchise's first-ever head coach, Barry Trotz, will assume general manager duties for the team.
Trotz will reportedly start the job immediately, even though Poile is officially stepping down in June.
The 60-year-old Trotz coached the Predators from their inaugural season in 1998-99 to 2013-14. Trotz then spent four seasons as head coach of the Washington Capitals, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, and most recently sat behind the bench for the New York Islanders from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Trotz was among the most sought-after coaches available. In December, while the desire to coach hadn't left him, Trotz revealed that he was taking the rest of the year off to contemplate his future.
Trotz (1,812) trails only the legendary Scott Bowman (2,141) in games coached and ranks third in wins (914) behind Joel Quenneville (969) and Bowman (1,244), per NHL.com's records page. However, Trotz's time manning the bench seems to be over as a new career in the front office begins.
Poile walks away after 26 years of helping mold the Predators into what they are today. Though, following a 40-plus year career as an NHL executive, many expect Poile to stick around Nashville as a valuable consultant.
Over 24 seasons, Poile could never bring a Stanley Cup to Nashville. However, during his time at the helm, the Predators qualified for the playoffs 15 times, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016-17.
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