David Poile is just one Nashville Predators’ win away from becoming the NHL's all-time winningest general manager and he has his latest acquisition to thank.

The Predators picked up a 6-5 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night as Poile tied Glen Sather with 1,319 victories as an NHL general manager. Ryan Hartman, acquired by Poile just a day earlier for a first-round pick and prospect Victor Ejdsell, scored the winning goal against the Jets with one minute remaining.

The Predators, who have won five straight games, will take on the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night with a chance to put Poile alone atop the board in NHL management history.

Poile spent 15 seasons with the Washington Capitals from 1982-97 before taking over with the expansion Predators in 1997. He's been with the team ever since, overseeing the group from a 28-win inaugural season in 1998 to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

Despite all of his success, the Stanley Cup has eluded Poile throughout his career. The Predators fell in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins last May, which was the first time Poile had reached the championship round.

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Poile's 10 most impactful trades with Predators
As ranked by Adam Vingan of the Tennessean
10. Trading David Legwand to Red Wings
9. Acquiring Kyle Turris from Senators
8. Acquiring James Neal from Penguins
7. Acquiring Kimmo Timonen from Kings
6. Acquiring Peter Forsberg from Flyers
5. Acquiring Steve Sullivan from Blackhawks
4. Acquiring Mike Fisher from Senators
3. Acquiring Filip Forsberg from Capitals
2. Acquiring Ryan Johansen from Blue Jackets
1. Acquiring P.K. Subban from Canadiens

“We’re here to win the ultimate prize, I haven’t done that, you know? I would sure like that,’’ Poile told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun on Wednesday in an interview with The Athletic.

The 68-year-old, who is no stranger to making blockbuster trades, primed the Predators for another playoff run by acquiring Hartman from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline. And he told LeBrun Hartman was not the only player he pursued.

“Of all the players that were traded, we were attracted to a lot of them,” said Poile. “Some of them had years left on their contract, some of them were rentals. We called about a lot of things. I didn’t know Ryan Hartman was available until about a week ago. In my mind, if you’re going to put your first-round pick into play, then you start analyzing everything… the fact that Hartman was 23 years of age and a restricted free agent [on July 1], we felt he could be in our organization for a number of years.

“We gave up our top pick and a prospect to get Ryan Hartman and he’s going to be with us for a few years. I feel very good about it today, I know I paid a hefty price, and I think I’ll feel good about it next October when we start the season.’’

The Predators enter Thursday's game tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the Western Conference with 87 points. 

Poile has overseen all 725 regular-season victories in Predators franchise history. On Wednesday, he mentioned his plans to retire in Florida "in few years."  LeBrun notes that Poile, who has spent 46 seasons working in the NHL, has executives around the league pulling for him to win his first Cup.

“I think that’s very fair,’’ Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told LeBrun. “David is a terrific guy and he’s very popular in the hockey family. He’s worked hard, he’s prepared, I’m not surprised he’s getting to the point where he has the all-time wins and he’s certainly getting close to winning a Cup.’’

The Predators own an all-time 41-23-3-3 record against the Oilers and are 2-0 against the club this season.