David Poile admits to huge mistake with Eeli Tolvanen

When the Nashville Predators put forward Eeli Tolvanen on waivers last night, it sent a shockwave through the entire NHL.

"Wait... Tolvanen? The Nashville forward? Wasn't he supposed to be the next big breakout star?"

That was pretty much the reaction from around the league given Tolvanen's pedigree. It wasn't long ago that Tolvanen was hyped as a top prospect given his exploits in the KHL with Jokerit Helsinki. It's not a stretch to say that he was as hyped as now Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov. Of course, things haven't worked out for Tolvanen like they have for Kaprizov, but he's still just 23 years old and he's been relatively productive when given an opportunity.

So, saying all this it was no surprise when Tolvanen was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Kraken and it's also no surprise that he has broken out in his short period with the Kraken. The speedy winger has three goals and five points in just five games with his new team.

If you're a Preds fan you're sitting here thinking, "What gives?"

Why did the Predators put Tolvanen waivers? Especially when there are underperforming forwards like Mark Jankowski, Cole Smith and Michael McCarron who could have been demoted on placed on waivers instead?

Well... the answer isn't going to make those fans happy because today Preds GM David Poile essentially admitted that he messed up.

"This could be a mistake on our part. That's on me if he turns out to be really successful. We thought we tried him in a lot of different areas, different places."

- David Poile

Could be a mistake? COULD?!

To me, this is just another example that Poile is out of touch and that this team needs a fresh look in management. Poile is a Hall of Famer and no one is going to argue his impact on the sport, but he's been the team's GM since its inception and it's pretty clear that he has unchecked power. There aren't many GMs who can mistake after mistake, year after year while offering up no rationale and keep their job. Poile is pretty much the only guy whose job seems to be secure at all times.

Something's got to give...