Preds Top 20, No. 7: David Poile Hands the Reins to Barry Trotz

The Nashville Predators 2022-23 season has officially come to an end, and what a season it has been. From momentous firsts to bittersweet farewells, this year was full of memorable moments both on and off the ice.

We've already taken a look back at theTop 10 goals scored by the Predators this season. Now, we're counting down the Top 20 moments and milestones that highlighted a special season of hockey in SMASHVILLE.

We'll take our trip down memory lane in chronological order, so let's go back to February to continue our countdown at No. 7.

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David Poile, the only General Manager in the history of the Nashville Predators, announced on Feb. 26 that he would be retiring from that position, as well as his role of President of Hockey Operations, on June 30, 2023.

Barry Trotz, the franchise's first-ever and winningest head coach, takes the reins as General Manager on July 1, 2023. He will manage all facets of the Predators' hockey operations department, including the coaching and scouting staffs, player procurement and development, as well as minor league affiliations and operations. Trotz has worked as an advisor for Poile and his management team over the past four months, ensuring a smooth, stable and efficient transition as he takes over just following the 2023 NHL Draft, which will be hosted at Bridgestone Arena on June 28-29.

Poile, the winningest and longest-tenured general manager in the history of the NHL, made the decision to step down after a quarter century at the helm of the Predators front office. He will remain affiliated with the organization as an advisor, serving the team's ownership, its business operations leadership group, and the hockey operations department, including Trotz.

"It's been the best 25 years of my hockey career to be able to do something like this from scratch," Poile said following his announcement. "There are so many firsts and milestones that you can only experience when you start something like an expansion team. [Whether it's] our first game, our first win, the first time we got into playoffs, hosting the NHL Draft and signing our first star player, winning our first playoff series, hosting the NHL All-Star Weekend, making our first trip to the Stanley Cup Final, winning the Presidents' Trophy, playing in the Winter Classic or hosting the Stadium Series and retiring our first jersey - they're all great memories, and I've loved everything about this job, from developing plans and working with people to bring the plans to reality."

Poile, Trotz and Predators President and CEO Sean Henry held a press conference at Bridgestone Arena the day after the announcement, where they celebrated Poile's storied career and expressed the utmost confidence in the leadership transition.

"As we celebrate David for 25 incredible years as our general manager, it is my privilege to, at the same time, welcome home Barry Trotz," Henry said. "These two men have done more to forge the identity of the Nashville Predators and our relationship with SMASHVILLE than anyone else in our organization's history. I don't know if there are words that can adequately describe all that David has done in his time with the organization, taking the team from ground zero with no fanbase to where it is today - 15 postseason appearances, including eight straight, to help create what is recognized as an unparalleled SMASHVILLE experience for our fans. Barry, obviously, had a big part in that development too, and we couldn't be more pleased to welcome him home as the second general manager in team history. Throughout that history, we have taken pride in orderly, efficient leadership transitions, and I am pleased to affirm we are doing so again today. We are looking forward to a great future with Barry Trotz as our general manager."

Trotz was hired by Poile on Aug. 6, 1997, and achieved a 557-479-(60)-100 record in 1,196 games as the team's bench boss, guiding Nashville to the postseason seven times. His time with the Predators was historic - he coached the second-most games with one franchise in NHL history, and his 557 wins with Nashville are the third-most by a head coach with a single organization in League lore.

"This is home for me," Trotz said. I've already got lots of sweat equity in the Predators. I've got Predators DNA; it's never gone away. And it's important for me because I live here."

Trotz cemented himself as a foundational piece of an organization that holds a reputation as being one of the NHL's most consistent, thanks in part to his ability to guide the Predators during their initial seasons as an expansion franchise. He is one of just six coaches in the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB to have managed each of a team's first 15 seasons of existence, and at the conclusion of his final campaign as Nashville's head coach, was one of four in expansion-team history to have a record better than .500.

Now, Trotz hopes to help write the next chapter in franchise history - this time, as a general manager.

"I'm hoping as the next general manager that I can perform the duties with the dignity and class and the professionalism that David has for so many years," Trotz said. "It'll be a tall task, but I'm up for the challenge."

Worth a click:

Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile
Video: Nashville Predators Thank David Poile