David Poile earns second consecutive General Manager of the Year nomination

by Chris Burton on Apr 20, 2011 12:03 PM EDT in Nashville Predators News

In advance of tonight's critical game 4 between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks, Preds' general manager David Poile has kicked off the award nominations for Nashville by being named a finalist for the NHL's General Manager of the Year award for the second year in a row. Per Greg Wyshynski:

Gillis, Poile, Yzerman your GM of the year finalists, per NHL.

Last season was the award's inaugural year, which saw Poile place second behind Don Maloney of Phoenix, and just ahead of George McPhee in Washington. His competition this year will be Mike Gillis of the Vancouver Canucks and Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A quick rundown of GMDP's best accomplishments over the past year:

Signing free agent center Matthew Lombardi. We obviously don't know yet how this will work out, but since you can't predict injuries, I still see this as an extremely savvy move.
Getting a dollar for a dime. Poile somehow managed, all in one summer, to turn Dan Hamhuis and Dan Ellis' negotiating rights, Dustin Boyd, Ryan Parent, Jonas Andersson, and Jason Arnott into Sergei Kostitsyn, Shane O`Brien, a 2nd round draft pick, Matt Halischuk, and Matt Lombardi. Not bad.
Stocking the farm system well enough to call upon a number of Milwaukee Admirals to fulfill critical roles at various points of the season, and have them deliver. On the current playoff roster, Nick Spaling, Blake Geoffrion, Matt Halischuk and Jonathon Blum all started the season in Milwaukee.
Last, but not least, the acquisition of Mike Fisher, which was a trade for the right now and next season. In the semi-long term, Fisher gives Nashville an excellent center corps under contract next year (Fisher, Lombardi, Legwand, Smithson), and it's pretty easy to see the impact he's having on their postseason play.

In all, another extremely productive year for David Poile, which is something that we perhaps underappreciate considering that it's so run-of-the-mill. Either way, Poile's tenure may perhaps be judged by this upcoming summer, and the re-signing of Shea Weber. For now, though? We've got playoff hockey to be concerned with.

To read the official press release from the NHL, just follow after the jump...

NEW YORK (April 20, 2011) -- Mike Gillis of the Vancouver Canucks, David Poile of the Nashville Predators and Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning are the three finalists for the 2010-11 NHL General Manager of the Year Award, the National Hockey League announced today.

   Voting for this award was conducted among the 30 Club General Managers and a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 22, during the 2011 NHL Awards from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas. The 2011 NHL Awards will be broadcast by VERSUS in the United States and CBC in Canada.

   Following are the finalists, in alphabetical order, for NHL General Manager of the Year:

Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks

   Gillis built the Canucks into the NHL's top team in the 2010-11 regular season as they captured the Presidents' Trophy with a franchise-record 117 points (54-19-9) and claimed the Northwest Division title for the third time in his three years in Vancouver. He strengthened the Canucks defensively over the off-season by adding blueliners Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis and shutdown center Manny Malhotra. Such was Vancouver's organizational depth that the club allowed the fewest goals in the NHL (185) despite suffering a rash of injuries throughout the season that sidelined each of their top five defensemen. Gillis further bolstered team depth at the trade deadline with the acquisition of forwards Chris Higgins and Maxim Lapierre.

David Poile, Nashville Predators

   Under Poile's direction the Predators (44-27-11) brought the Stanley Cup Playoffs to Music City for the sixth time in the past seven seasons, finishing fifth in the West after the most competitive Conference race in League history. Yet again, more than half of the lineup was drafted and developed by the organization, including the top four scoring defensemen, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Cody Franson and Kevin Klein. Goaltenders Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback were selected with the 258th and 207th overall selections in their respective draft years. To this nucleus Poile added their leading scorer in 2010-11, Sergei Kostitsyn, in a trade last June and two-way center Mike Fisher two weeks prior to the trade deadline.

Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning

   Yzerman was hired as Lightning general manager last May and presided over a club that made a 23-point improvement over 2009-10, posted the second-best record in franchise history (46-25-11) and earned a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007. Among the rookie NHL GM's notable moves were hiring head coach Guy Boucher three weeks into his tenure and adding key veterans to his lineup at different stages. Defenseman Pavel Kubina was signed at the start of the free agency period last July, followed later in the month by forward Simon Gagne; goaltender Dwayne Roloson arrived via trade midway through the season and defenseman Eric Brewer was obtained at the trade deadline.

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Fisher. SK74, and SOB, and a good contract for HornQ

These moves were savvy, low risk, high reward.

The voting, like all the other awards, is surely done at the end of the regular season, which may serve Poile well with regards to his competition this year. Like is served Maloney and Mcphee well last year.

Its high praise, and a notable achievement to be nominated 2 out of 2 times.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Apr 20, 2011 12:23 PM EDT reply actions

don’t forget the honor that goes a long with a nod from DFTB ;)

I'm sent here by the chosen one

by Creeping Death on Apr 20, 2011 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Seriously

the guy is rolling with high praise.

Seriously, the votes are done at the end of the season.
Poile’s team was the hottest team in the League,
and two of his pickups (SK74, Fisher) were flying high and got some attention.

Vancouver coasted, and TB was up and down at the end, as was Stevie Y’s big pickup, Roloson.
I know its a full season award, but some voters may have been swayed by the trends of the last month. Certainly doesn’t hurt Poile.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Apr 20, 2011 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions

very true!

I'm sent here by the chosen one

by Creeping Death on Apr 20, 2011 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions

what? no Bob Murray?

I'm sent here by the chosen one

by Creeping Death on Apr 20, 2011 12:26 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

No. Murray didn’t get nominated. He is what he said to the media though this morning.

"How do you go about being nominated for GM of the year when you are constantly reminded of the barstool incident?" Barstool Bob Murray asked aloud. "There was no penalty on the play and the lady dove anyways. When you get angry, you don’t go easy. You throw chairs. It’s just ridiculous. But our guys are all going to start doing it. That’s what I’m telling them. It’s working."

by JasonF on Apr 20, 2011 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

And for the record, if some random Duck fan stumbles upon this, I’m a Ducks fan too but can enjoy a good laugh every now and then. Don’t take this seriously please.

by JasonF on Apr 20, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions

We got your back, Jason

I consider you and JuMowbray as the Koivu and Selanne of Ducks fans. You two battle it out over which is which.

Known by George Plaster since 4/13/2011
Your favorite member of the mainstream media
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by JRTheByLineGrinder on Apr 20, 2011 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Dibs on Teemu.

by JasonF on Apr 20, 2011 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Hahaha! Good stuff.

EASports' NHL 11 doesn't suck; in fact, it's really damn good! Wait, what!?
Go Predators!!!

by Poiju on Apr 20, 2011 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

I figured something was missing in this piece. I think I’m the only one that got this quote from Murray. You heard it right here first, folks. That’s why they pay me the big bucks.

by JasonF on Apr 20, 2011 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Ha

GM Murray is certainly a character

by DontfeedtheBelak on Apr 20, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions

that he is my friend! Dale says get back to work!

I'm sent here by the chosen one

by Creeping Death on Apr 20, 2011 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Jason

So when are you moving to Nashville? Bring Teemu and Sak with you.

"You tell em I'm coming....and hells coming with me!"

by SinBinPred on Apr 20, 2011 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions

The real question is when am I moving to Anaheim. Not sure I could move out to Nashville. Though I hear it’s a nice place to live despite what all the moron Duck fans say about it out of spite. But I think I’ll stick with Anaheim with Teemu and Saku. :)

by JasonF on Apr 20, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Kostitsyn

The Kostitsyn deal alone probably got him nominated!

What moves did the other GM’s do that got them nominated? Not questioning the choices, just don’t have a deep knowledge of their teams (esp. the Lightning).

by dnorm4 on Apr 20, 2011 12:27 PM EDT reply actions

I said from the beginning the Kostitsyn thing was the trade of the year

but Yzerman deserves it, IMO

by Sam Page on Apr 20, 2011 12:53 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah but how seriously are we supposed to take anything from you re: Kostitsyn? :p

Lemme quote the late, great Colonel Sanders. He said "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken."

by Chris Burton on Apr 20, 2011 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Grabner would have been nice too. ;)

by Grizzledbear on Apr 20, 2011 7:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Reppin' Northeastern hardcore

This is a double-whammy for me. Way to go GMDP.

by Predneck on Apr 20, 2011 1:11 PM EDT reply actions

First, let me say Poile is a great GM, and deserving of an award – but I do think the having a GM yearly award is pointless since being a GM is such a long term position and it’s hard to judge moves in the short term. I do like the how the Poile and Gillis ones seem to at least be rewarding long-term development and management as opposed to just a good year.

If the Preds were to lose this series, and then Fisher has injury trouble next year, – will the move still be seen as a positive?

For example, signing Mike Commodore and Kristian Huselius looked like great moves for my beloved Blue Jackets when we finally made the playoffs that one year, but it’s hard to even use that playoff trip as a reason to look at any either of those contracts as anything other than god awful.

It’s way too early to give Stevie Y any awards. With the Lightning, if they got knocked out of the first round, and Beukaboom develops into a solid defenseman, that Eric Brewer deal is going to look really bad. Or if Ty Wisart, who they traded for old man Roloson, and was playing really good towards the end of the season for the Isles, ends up being a long term contributor that deal won’t look at good in retrospect either. Right now, both deals look good because they’re in the playoffs. But more importantly, the entire core of his team (St. Louis, Stamkos, Downie, Lecavalier, Hedman) was in place when he got there so I think he’s getting way too much credit.

This may sound crazy, but look at what Garth Snow did this year. He obtains Al Montoya for next-to-nothing, and seemingly ends up with a legit NHL starting goalie. He claims Michael Grabner of waivers, who turns into a 30+ goal scorer. He turns his 41 year old goalie into a young a defenseman. He gets ridiculed for firing his “popular with the media” coach for a no-name AHL coach who turns the team around. He’s drafted a young core of Okposo, Tavarares, Baily (who he sent back to the AHL for a bit, and of course, Snow was blasted for it, then Baily came back much improved).

He’s also made shrewd moves by turning throwaways on other teams (Moulson, Parenteau, Montoya) into quality, highly productive players for his own team, and he just resigned Moulson to a pretty favorable contract.

Of course, the Isles had another losing season, not too mention the whole Trevor Gillies debacle, but he’s made a bunch of moves that set-up his team real nicely in the long term. He just hates the media and the media hates him, and so do other GMs.

Obviously, I understand the Bob Murray mocking with his comments and all, but I think a very legit case could be made for him. Drafting Cam Fowler, signing Ray Emery, trading for Beachamin, re-signing Bobby Ryan, etc. He may be a tool, but it’s not like the guy has made terrible moves as GM.

by Re-SignZherdev on Apr 20, 2011 1:17 PM EDT reply actions

Murray has made some good moves as GM since he took over. I just had to poke fun at him because the opportunity presented itself. I’m not sure much credit can go to Murray for Fowler to be honest though. I love Fowler and see him being the next Scott Niedermayer after he gets a little stronger and improves his defensive game, but that draft pick falls on all the GMs who picked before us. He fell to us. Murray said afterwards he was stunned that Fowler fell to #12 and that they hadn’t even talked about him because they thought he’d be long gone by then. So yes, it was a great draft pick, but we got lucky with that one.

I love what Murray did in signing Emery. When I first heard it, I was really concerned and unsure of the move. But Emery came in and was all business and heart. And for the price we paid, what a steal! His trade last year to send Ryan Whitney to Edmonton for Lubo was shear brilliance. I’m love Team USA, but how Ryan Whitney got on that team was beyond me. That made his value go up some and Murray traded him while pulling the covers over the eyes of Edmonton. Whitney is pretty darn terrible, especially given his contract. By getting Lubo in exchange and Lubo having a great season and in some Norris talk, we made out like a bandit. The Beachamin trade was good, but I just wish we had signed him years ago instead of letting him walk at free agency to Toronto. We had to give up a blue-chip prospect to get Beachamin back, though he is doing well. In my mind, the Bobby Ryan signing was a bit of a downfall for Murray though. It got a little ugly and some things were brought up in the media. It could have been handled better in my opinion. I love Bobby (wearing my lucky Bobby Ryan shirt right now) but the whole re-signing was ugly at times. He still closed the deal, but it was ugly.

I wouldn’t have nominated Murray for GM of the year if I had a vote. But I also wouldn’t have nominated Yzerman. As you said, he didn’t change much on the Tampa squad since he took over. I like what you said about Snow though. He did make some great moves for that Isles team.

by JasonF on Apr 20, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions

but I do think the having a GM yearly award is pointless since being a GM is such a long term position and it’s hard to judge moves in the short term.

Agree with this totally. Let’s say, for example, the Preds made the trade for SK74 this year. He didn’t quite make the team or make the contribution in 2010-11. But, say, in this hypothetical, that next season (which would be his Hypothetical First with the big club), he went, I dunno, 45/35, or something.

Would DP get the credit in 2011-12 for a move he made in 2010-11? I appreciate that the NHL is trying to recognize contributions made by front-office types – it’s a tough job with lots of moving parts – but judging it on one year’s worth of work doesn’t make much sense.

Known by George Plaster since 4/13/2011
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by JRTheByLineGrinder on Apr 20, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Should the NHL...

have the GM award every 3 years? That would account for some moves and how they played out. Would also take into account injuries and the like.

by HardCorePredFan316 on Apr 20, 2011 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions

That's an interesting idea

As logical as that is, it’d be hard to get much pop off an award that’s only handed out every third year, though.

Known by George Plaster since 4/13/2011
Your favorite member of the mainstream media
The Velvet Hammer

by JRTheByLineGrinder on Apr 20, 2011 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions

You and I both know...

That Jeremy Roenick takes the “pop” out of an award show every year.

by HardCorePredFan316 on Apr 20, 2011 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions

also

Say someone has been building up a team and then they have a breakout season during a year when the award isn’t handed out. By the time the award is handed out the team isn’t so awesome and the GM is gone. Look at Dale Tallon and the Blackhawks. Do you still nominate Tallon for the work he did with the Blackhawks in two years?

I live in the OC.
The one in OH.

by MattBen on Apr 20, 2011 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Honestly, I would have had Murray in the top 3 over Gillis or Yzerman. Poile, Murray and Shero would have been my top 3. Poile certainly has a good chance of winning it this time around.

by Grizzledbear on Apr 20, 2011 7:16 PM EDT via mobile reply actions