Nashville GM David Poile: Radulov is the best player outside the NHL

Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile admitted Russian forward Alexander Radulov is the best player outside the NHL, but conceded that a decision to return to America can only be made by the player himself.

«He’s a top-six forward that a lot of people would say we’re missing. He’s the best player not playing in the NHL,» confessed the Predators GM.

«Based on my conversations, limited as they are, I think there’s been maturity as a player and as a person. Rad has got a personality of his own and a character of his own. That is part of the attraction to him,» Poile continued.

Asked if that is a sign of a possible return in the near future, Poile was cautious: «It would totally be a bonus if he came back to play. With Rad, there’s always a possibility. Right now he’s a big fish in a smaller pond, but it’s his play in the National Hockey League that will define how he will be remembered. He has to make the decision whether it’s time for him to take his game back to Nashville,» he concluded.