David Poile's first Nashville Predators captain gave Poile his final NHL Draft pick.

Poile's first Predators coach came up with the idea.

Tom Fitzgerald, general manager of the New Jersey Devils and Nashville's first captain, traded his team's seventh-round pick to Nashville for a 2024 seventh-round pick Thursday. Barry Trotz, the former coach who will succeed Poile beginning Saturday, came up with the plan on the fly, Predators assistant GM Jeff Kealty said.

"(Trotz) had a great idea to go talk to (Fitzgerald) about it," Kealty said. "Of course he was very gracious and wanted to do it.

"To kind of bring it all together like that at the end of the week, I thought it was so fitting ... to cap off David's career. We saw the reaction not just organizationally but the whole arena. It was a really special moment."

All eyes inside Bridgestone Arena were cast in Poile's direction in the middle of the draft floor when the trade was announced.

After thanking everyone, Poile leaned toward the microphone in front of him.

"For my last pick of all time, Aiden Fink from Brooks," Poile said.

A standing ovation from every team on the floor and every fan in the stands followed, capping Poile's 40th and final draft.

Poile’s GM career began on June 8, 1983 in Montreal, when he selected Tim Bergland with his first pick, which came in the fourth round (75th overall). It was the first of Poile's 15 seasons in that job with the Washington Capitals.

Thursday's plan was in the plans, though the Predators weren't sure how they'd pull it off. With no seventh-round pick this year, Kealty suggested to Trotz the Predators "try to put a couple things in place."

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How former Predators star sent retiring GM David Poile out with standing ovation at NHL Draft