The only general manager the Nashville Predators have ever known is retiring after a remarkable career that made Smashville a hit in a music-crazed city.

The face in his place will be a familiar one.

David Poile, the NHL's winningest GM and a U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer, will be replaced by former Predators coach Barry Trotz, the third-winningest coach in NHL history, effective July 1. In the meantime, the 60-year-old Trotz, who spent the first 15 seasons of Predators history as the team's coach, will serve as an advisor to Poile.

When Trotz takes over, Poile will shift into an advisory role to the new GM.

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Before coming to Nashville, Poile, 73, spent 15 seasons as general manager of the Washington Capitals, where he cut Trotz as a player but later hired him as a scout.

Poile hinted in late January that he'd been thinking more seriously about life after hockey. He told The Tennessean, though, that his plan to retire has been in place for a couple of years and that he told ownership and future majority owner Bill Haslam after last season this likely would be his final go-around with the Predators.

"This has been in the works a little bit, the last couple of seasons," Poile told The Tennessean. "It got to the point right after last season, I felt it was probably time for a change. I have two loves in my life — my family is first and second is hockey, and specifically the Predators.

"This is not an easy decision for me walking away from the only job I ever wanted. ... I think I'm doing the right thing for me personally, and I think I'm doing the right thing for the Predators. Sometimes I wonder why I'm stepping away, but I've had my chance for (26) years with the Predators and 41 years in the National Hockey League. It's time for a new voice; it's time for new leadership."

'100%' David Poile's decision to retire

Poile is walking away on his own terms, according to Predators president and CEO Sean Henry.

"Not only was it his decision, it's his architecture of what the next four or five months could look like," Henry said. "We're grateful he has two loves in his life, his family and the Preds. And we're really lucky he's decided to hang around his second love for a little while while going back to his first. One-hundred percent his decision."

Henry added that having Poile a phone call away as an advisor is a "luxury not many general managers have when you have the man with the most wins in the history of the NHL you can say, 'Hey, what do you think?'"

Poile, the longest tenured active GM in the league and the third-longest in league history, became the winningest general manager in league history when he earned the 1,320^th victory of his career in March 2018. Poile was 1,519-1,162-(192)-176 in his career going into Sunday.

He began his career with the expansion Atlanta Flames in 1972 as an administrative assistant before ascending to assistant general manager. After five years with the Flames, Poile became the general manager for the Capitals, a position he held for 15 seasons, 14 of which saw the team reach the postseason.

Looking to put a complete stamp on a franchise, Poile joined the expansion Nashville Predators in 1997 and presided over the 2017 team that made the franchise’s only Stanley Cup Final appearance. Poile was named the NHL’s GM of the year in 2017. The next season, Nashville won the only Presidents' Trophy in franchise history after compiling the best record in the regular season.

The Predators have made the playoffs 15 times under Poile, including the past eight seasons.

“Speaking on behalf of our current ownership group, past owners and chairmen, and future chairman Bill Haslam, I’d like to thank David Poile for his monumental contributions to the Nashville Predators and the greater Nashville community, on and off the ice,” Predators chairman and governor Herb Fritch said in a statement. “Because of the vision, passion, dedication and hard work that David has directed towards this franchise for every day of its existence, we are positioned where we are today."

A 'different direction'

When Poile informed ownership this season likely would be his last, the sides also discussed the future beyond Poile.

That was a process in which Poile wanted to be involved.

"End of the year review with ownership, we talked about a succession plan, and we've been doing that the last two or three years," Poile said. "Shortly after this past season I said it probably would be my last season. We kind of started to talk in earnest about how to go about this."

Thus began the process that led Poile to Trotz, who reached out to the Predators in December after being fired as coach of the New York Islanders in May. Assistant GMs Brian Poile, Jeff Kealty and Scott Nichol also were considered for the job, as well as some people from the outside.

"A decision was made quickly," Poile said.

Poile went on to say that the team's play this season has only reaffirmed his decision to retire. The Predators entered Sunday in fifth place in the Western Conference's Central Division, seven points behind the Colorado Avalanche for a playoff spot.

"Our play this season, to be honest with you, it makes me feel I probably have made the right decision because we are what I call this mushy, mushy middle," he said. "We've either got to find a way to get better, adding, or maybe we go a little different direction.

"Your word is 'rebuild,' my word would be 'reset.' That's really splitting hairs. ... It might be better for a new voice and somebody to take this team in a new direction."

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: David Poile to retire as Nashville Predators GM; Barry Trotz to take over