Former Predator Shea Weber, who this week was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame along with the man who traded him from the Preds, retired general manager David Poile.

-- Photo By Mark Humphrey | Ap

This year’s Hockey Hall of Fame class has a distinct Predator-heavy representation, with longtime general manager David Poile and former defenseman Shea Weber among the inductees. Poile was inducted as a member of the Builder Category, while Weber was in the Player Category.

It might be a stretch to think that the selection committee had a bit of a sense of humor in inducting Poile and Weber together, as a couple of major events took place between the two during their time together in Nashville. But it is likely just a coincidence that they enter the Hall in the same class.

Poile was the Predators’ general manager from the time the franchise was awarded until the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, when he handed the GM reins to Barry Trotz, who was Poile’s hand-selected first coach of the Predators.

Poile began his front office career in 1972 with the then-Atlanta Flames and followed the team to Calgary before leaving to become the general manager of the Washington Capitals, a position he held 1982-1997, when he left for Nashville.

He’s the winningest regular season general manager in NHL history, as well as the longest-serving GM. Poile also carried the well-earned moniker as “Trader Dave” for the many deals he made in both Washington and Nashville.

Weber was the hulking defenseman who patrolled the Nashville blue line from 2006 until Poile dealt him to the Montreal Canadiens in July 2016. Weber was Nashville’s team captain for his final six seasons before being traded.

Nashville Predators senior advisor and former general manager David Poile, the winningest regular-season GM in NHL history.

-- Photo By George Walker Iv | Ap

Even though the Predators made it to the Stanley Cup Final the season after Weber was traded in exchange for fellow blueliner P.K. Subban, Poile has spoken several times about second-guessing the move, one that made waves around the NHL at the time.

It is rare for any player to be elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, especially without any hardware earned at the NHL level. While Weber never won a Stanley Cup or a Norris Trophy given annually to the NHL’s top defenseman, he was a slam dunk as an inductee in his first year eligible.

An argument, and a strong one at that, can be made that Weber should have won the Norris at least once and likely twice, as he was the most feared defenseman of his generation.

Playing in small market Nashville, Weber received a lot of attention for his performance at the NHL’s Hardest Shot competition each All-Star weekend he participated. But during games that counted, Weber was dominant in the defensive zone due to his physical play.

He could also skate the puck out of the defensive zone in transition and his booming slap shot was must-see TV. In 1,038 regular season games played, Weber had 224 goals, with 106 of those coming on the power play.

The Hall of Fame takes into account a player’s entire resume, so while Weber may have never won a Norris or a Stanley Cup, his junior and international accomplishments are lengthy. In junior hockey, he won a Memorial Cup in 2004 with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. With Team Canada, he won a World Junior Championship in 2005. Later, he won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014.

Poile selected Weber in the second round (49th overall) in the 2003 Draft, which was held in Nashville. Getting a future Hall of Famer in the second round was a victory for Poile. The Predators had an early eye on Weber, thanks to their monitoring of the progress of Tomas Slovak, a teammate of his in Kelowna. Nashville took Slovak in the second round of the 2001 Draft, and while he never played a game for the Predators or in the NHL, having him in the mix enabled Poile and company an early look at Weber, who turned out to be a spectacular find.

While Poile traded Weber in 2016, it was the defenseman who appeared to want out of Nashville in 2012 when, as a restricted free agent, he signed a monster offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers. The deal was for 14 years and $110 million and structured in a way that a large portion of the contract was given in signing bonuses. The structure of the offer sheet was thought to be done so that the then tight-spending Predators would or could not match. Nashville did match it and Weber remained a Predator.

Weber and Poile have since mended any hard feelings they may have had toward one another. After all, hockey is a business and those in the business do things they feel like they have to in order to succeed.

No Predator has worn Weber’s jersey No. 6 since his departure. Expect that to continue, as his jersey will likely be the next to join former goaltender Pekka Rinne’s in the Bridgestone Arena rafters as the only numbers retired thus far.