Poile Improves Preds with Deadline Acquisitions of Simmonds, Granlund

David Poile didn't wake up on Monday feeling as though he had to make a trade. By mid-afternoon, he had completed two of them.
The Predators general manager was indeed active prior to the 2 p.m. (CT) NHL Trade Deadline, and he acquired a pair of forwards by bringing in Mikael Granlund from the Minnesota Wild and Wayne Simmonds from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Poile sent forward Kevin Fiala to Minnesota to complete the first deal before passing forward Ryan Hartman and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft to the Flyers in a trade that came in just under the wire.

Poile had to give up pieces to bring the transactions to fruition, but perhaps most impressive on the day was the fact he was able to keep not only the franchise's top two prospects in forward Eeli Tolvanen and defenseman Dante Fabbro, he also retained his first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
A couple of hours after the dust had settled, the GM reiterated his stance that he would have been happy with his club had nothing materialized. However, he wasn't about to say no to the opportunities that presented themselves.
"I really think going into the trade deadline, we had a good team," Poile said Monday evening. "This has been a bit more of a trying year than the last couple of years, a little bit more ups and downs, but I have good confidence in our team. It's my job to see if we can improve the team, and I think the opportunities that we took today are moves that are going to improve our team. I think we captured, in both players, a lot of things that we've been looking for."

Tops on that list for Nashville's Hockey Operations Department was a desire to improve the club's offensive productivity, particularly on the second line. Both players will aid in that venture, especially Granlund, who had 15 goals and 49 points this season with Minnesota.
Poile believes Granlund could slot anywhere in Nashville's top-six forward group, likely on the aforementioned second line, and will instantly provide a boost to those who are skating alongside the highly-skilled playmaker.
The 27-year-old Granlund, who still has another season to go on his contract, could be in Nashville for more than just the near future. Poile stated that he would not have done the deal if Granlund wasn't going to be around for more than just the next couple of months, and the hope is to keep the Finnish winger in Tennessee long past his current deal.
The ask from former Predators Assistant General Manager, and current Minnesota GM, Paul Fenton, was Fiala coming back the other way. Poile said he wished it would've worked out between the young player and the Preds, but the chance to snag Granlund was too lucrative too pass up.
"It's disappointing when you give up on a young player, I'll certainly tell you that," Poile said of Fiala. "Kevin has shown flashes of being a really good player… From that standpoint, I wish it would've worked out there. Having said that, I think Granlund is a much more well-rounded player in all areas. He's four or five years older, and he has more of a complete game right now."

Then, there is Simmonds, a 30-year-old veteran who instantly adds skill, size and toughness to a Predators roster that is going to need all of it when the postseason rolls around.
"He's a presence on the power play and really has some good hands around the net," Poile said of Simmonds. "In addition to that, he gives us that size and that physical element that we probably wanted to add a little bit more of, another complement to Brian Boyle. As we forecast and see how the playoffs are lining up right now, Winnipeg, St. Louis, for example… those are going to be series against some big boys and some physicality, and Simmonds will help in that area."
Poile expects the 6-foot-2 Simmonds to be available on Tuesday when the Preds meet the Blues in St. Louis, while Granlund's status is a bit more in question at this point. His fiancée is in the process of giving birth to their first child, exhibit A of how the NHL Trade Deadline goes so much deeper than just swapping player for player.
"As a father and a grandfather, I didn't even say anything about the trade for five minutes," Poile said of his phone conversation with Granlund. "I told him how important it was to take care of his fiancée and the baby and what a great day this is for him and his family. I said, 'I'll see you when I see you.'"
Once Granlund does join the team, and with the exception of a few injuries the club is dealing with, Poile and the Predators will get a look at the lineup they'll ice for the remainder of the season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in just six weeks' time.
And for a general manager, who still would have been satisfied no matter the result, the smile - and the promise of what's to come - was a bit grander than it was when the alarm went off Monday morning.
"We're in a position right now where we feel we have a chance to not only make the playoffs, but win rounds in the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup," Poile said. "We've made two trades, and I believe our team is better today than it was yesterday. I'm all in, as you can see, and glad we had the opportunity to do those two deals.
"We've done what we've done, and I'm glad that we did it."