Chiarelli, Dorion, Poile named finalists for GM of the Year Award

Edmonton Oilers' Peter Chiarelli, Ottawa Senators' Pierre Dorion, and Nashville Predators' David Poile were named finalists for the General Manager of the Year Award on Tuesday, the league announced.

Chiarelli earned his nomination after leading the Oilers to their first playoff appearance in 11 years. The team impressed in its first postseason outing in over a decade, bowing out in Game 7 of the second round to the Anaheim Ducks.

The veteran GM's biggest move was the seemingly controversial trade that sent Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Adam Larsson. And while the deal appeared puzzling at the time, it looks to have paid off for the club.

Factor in the signing of Milan Lucic and the under-the-radar signing of Kris Russell and it's easy to see how Chiarelli has helped quickly turn the franchise around.

As for Dorion, he helped get his club back into the postseason after missing out a season ago. Unlike Chiarelli or Poile, Dorion had fewer blockbuster moves, but instead made many smaller deals.

The team acquired Derick Brassard, Alex Burrows, and Mike Condon - the latter of which proved to be the team's savior in 2016-17 with Craig Anderson missing a lot of time to be with his wife during her battle with cancer.

Dorion can also be credited with hiring head coach Guy Boucher - who has helped shape the team into a potential Stanley Cup contender.

Poile earned his nomination after pulling off the trade that shook the hockey world last June.

The Predators' GM dealt captain Shea Weber to the Montreal Canadiens in a one-for-one deal for P.K. Subban. The deal has paid immediate dividends for the club, which now boasts arguably the strongest defense core in the league.