David Poile, the only general manager in Nashville Predators history and a U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer, will retire from the position June 30 and former coach Barry Trotz will take over the job, Sportsnet and the Tennessean reported Sunday.
Poile, 73, is the longest-serving general manager in NHL history, with 15 seasons as GM of the Washington Capitals followed by his 26-year run with the Predators since the then-expansion team hired him in 1997. He became the first person to reach 3,000 regular-season games as an NHL general manager earlier this season.
Poile won the NHL’s General Manager of the Year award in 2017, when Nashville reached its first Stanley Cup Final.
Trotz was the Predators’ first head coach, leading them for their first 15 seasons in the league. He then coached stints with the Capitals (2014-18) and New York Islanders (2018-22), leading Washington to its first and only Stanley Cup title in 2018.
Trotz, who was fired by the Islanders following last season, is the third-winningest coach in NHL history with 914 wins across 23 seasons.
Sportsnet reported that Trotz, 60, is expected to start working with the Predators immediately but won’t officially become the GM until after June 30. The new league year is expected to start July 1. Poile is likely to stay on as a consultant for the Predators, according to Sportsnet.
–Field Level Media