Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators draft pick Tanner Molendyk shakes hands with incoming general manager Barry Trotz after being selected with the twenty fourth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
With the Nashville Predators having a six-day gap between games following their trip to Stockholm, Sweden, plenty of speculation is swirling about whether the club will make a coaching change or other moves this week.
Advertisement
In a Conversations and Coffee interview produced by the NHL and posted on YouTube over the weekend, Trotz and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas sat down for a casual back-and-forth over coffee during the 2025 NHL Global Series in Stockholm this past weekend.
The two executives spent over 10 minutes quizzing each other about the state of their teams. Trotz didn’t reveal any earth-shattering news about what might come next for the Predators. He did, however, offer some insight as to where he views the team currently and moving forward.
On the subject of the team’s efforts to get younger, Trotz has often been reluctant to use the term “rebuild”. He took a similar stance in his conversation with Dubas.
Advertisement
“We’re in that transitional phase where we’re not in… I don’t want to say a rebuild,” Trotz said. “We sorta are, but I just call it a build. We’re starting to build. We’ve got some older players who hopefully can keep us relevant for a bit, and we’ve got some young players that we gotta wait for.”
That waiting process has become more difficult with the Preds’ disappointing start to the 2025-26 season. After earning a split with the Penguins in the two-game Global Series, the Preds stand at 6-10-4, giving them 16 points and placing them seventh in the Central Division.
Trotz acknowledged his team was short of playmakers, even joking to Dubas during their conversation, “I don’t have enough playmakers. Could you give me Sid (Sidney Crosby) or (Evgeni) Malkin for a little bit? I think they could be a little more productive.”
That alone is an indication Trotz is aware of the team’s desperate need for offense, which is ranked 30th in the NHL with 48 goals.
Advertisement
The Penguins are in a similar situation: trying to get younger while maintaining a core of veterans in Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Through 19 games this season, the Penguins are faring better than the Preds at 10-5-4 for 24 poins, good for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Malkin leads the Pens with 23 points, while Crosby is right behind with 21. Filip Forsberg, who skated in his 800th career NHL game in Sunday’s loss, leads the Preds with 15 points, followed by Ryan O’Reilly with 13.
Waiting for prospects to develop, then meshing them in with the core of veterans isn’t always easy.
“That’s the hard part in this business because we were in the playoffs for 14, 15 years, very similar to Pittsburgh,” Trotz told Dubas. “The cupboards were bare and we’re trying to fill the cupboards and now waiting is the hard part.”
Advertisement
Trotz also admitted during the interview there are certain aspects of coaching he still misses now that he’s in a GM role.
“One thing I miss, and I call it game day, is being in the dressing room and being a part of those quick decisions,” Trotz said. “I miss the real closeness I can have as a coach… You feel like you can affect things a little quicker.”
Which brings to mind the rumors swirling around the Predators about moving veterans in trades and a coaching change involving Andrew Brunette. Not surprisingly, Trotz had high praise for Brunette in his public chat with Dubas, calling him a “really good person for our organization.”
During media availability at the end of last season, Trotz declared both he and the organization were “standing behind him”, in reference to Brunette.
Advertisement
That was before the poor start to this season. If Trotz does decide to make a coaching change, would he go back behind the bench the rest of this season along with maintaining his GM duties?
One might read that sentiment into his comments about missing being in the locker room, but trying to fix a team from behind the bench and in the front office would be a lot to take on. The more likely scenario would be to bring in an interim coach, whether it’s Milwaukee Admirals head coach Karl Taylor or an assistant on Brunette’s staff.
There are no easy answers, either in the short- or long-term. One thing is clear, however: the Preds need fixing, and fast. Moves are sure to be made with trading veterans, making a change behind the bench, or both.
No matter how much Trotz publicly sugarcoats his team’s current situation, even he realizes the status quo cannot continue.
