Poile was arranging with Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion to acquire the 215th pick while Trotz was planning a trade with Fitzgerald and the Devils for No. 218.
"I went to David and I said, 'David, I just traded our seventh,'" Trotz said. "He says, 'So did I.'"
Fitzgerald said he even sent an assistant over to make sure of the trade.
"I sent my cap guy over and he walked back and said, 'Uh, I think it's on hold,'" Fitzgerald said. "Then they came over and said, 'No, we did it, it's good.'"
It was because Trotz pulled his first power play on his former boss, telling him the trade he arranged with Ottawa was off.
"I said, 'Well, I've got to trump you on this one,'" Trotz said. "He said he already made it, but I said I am going to go back to Pierre and we're going to make the deal with 'Fitzy.' And we did it."
Poile said, "As soon as he told me 'Fitzy,' I said, 'OK, I got it.' This is a much better story."