The Nashville Predators are a hot topic in the hockey world. Many believe changes will come when the team returns from Sweden and the Global Series after two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That was supposed to happen this week since the Predators have a week off between games, but as general manager Barry Trotz explained on 102.5 ESPN Radio in Nashville, there won’t be a coaching change because that would be the easiest way out.
“I believe our coaches are doing a really good job. Our records may not show it, but they’re practicing at full strength,” Trotz said when asked why the coach hasn’t been fired yet. “As I’ve said in the past, it’s an easy thing. It’s an easy thing to do. It’s a shared responsibility between the players, myself and the coaching staff.”
Trotz admitted that his signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei didn’t produce the results he hoped for the Nashville Predators. As he puts it, there is shared responsibility for the team’s poor performance over the past two seasons. Because if Trotz feels the players are no longer listening to their coach, he will make changes.
NHL Rumors: Nashville Predators and Steven Stamkos
“So our plans haven’t changed, the coaches, the front office, even the players are part of the plan, we’re in a hybrid model and we’re going to add some young guys,” Trotz continued. “That’s my answer to that. It’s an easy thing to do. If I don’t think the coaches are coaching, trying to make players better and putting in the time and effort, then I’ll make a change; it’s not a small thing because it falls on all three areas.”
The additions of Marchessault and Stamkos are good in theory. Since scoring goals in the league is difficult, you include players who have scored 40 goals. However, the Predators need a center to get these guys the puck. Like other teams in the NHL, they are looking for a center.
“Well, I would say, especially at the center ice position. I think that’s something we’re all trying to solve, but we just can’t. So, as you can see, there’s not a lot of movement at the center ice position across the league,” Trozzard added.
It’s an interesting time in Nashville for the Predators as they try to blend young players with veterans. The problem is that the Predators don’t have those players on their current roster. Trading these players is not easy. When David Poile was general manager, he traded Martin Erat to the Washington Capitals and luckily got Filip Forsberg.
But Trotz is looking to do what the Washington Capitals did: restructure on the fly. He doesn’t want to ruin everything and put young players on the field who aren’t ready yet. These general managers saw what was happening in Detroit and Buffalo and didn’t want to endure a decade-long rebuild.
NHL Rumors: Is Steven Stamkos’ time running out in Nashville?
However, Nashville could have been in this position instead of signing Marchessault, Stamkos and Skje as players like Filip Tomasino, Tommy Novak, Dante Fabbro, Cody Glass, Yaroslav Askarov, Alexander Kalil, Eli Tolvanin and Yakov Treinen had a chance to succeed at the right position before trading them to less elite players or draft picks that may or may not make it to the NHL.
That’s why even though the Nashville Predators are mired in trade rumors, Trotz, like most NHL general managers, wants to get a player-for-player deal done, which is hard to come by. If there’s going to be an immediate reorganization, it sounds like those players with no-move clauses won’t be traded anytime soon.
“No player with a no-move clause has asked to be traded,” Trotz added. “Everybody’s on board. From that standpoint, everybody’s on board. There’s a lot of noise out there right now, and a lot of it is coming from the media. From Andrew Burnett to Filip Forsberg. He’s not going anywhere.”
Now, Forsberg and Roman Josi aren’t going anywhere; they’re not going anywhere. These are the only two untouchables at the moment. Are the rest of the players still in business? At some point, Jonathan Marchessault may want to quit. What about Steven Stamkos? Is a return to Tampa Bay imminent?
NHL Rumors: Steven Stamkos and Nashville Predators have had trade discussions
Not to mention, every team needs a center and Ryan O’Reilly is a wanted one. Again, every team needs a center, so it’s a seller’s market. The price is high because these teams don’t want to be competitive in the future because this is a year-to-year league.
But the Nashville Predators need the right vision. Matthew Wood is a start as an everyday player. Keeping Luke Evangelista around for now is a good thing, but this mentality should have started earlier. Brady Martin is going to be great one day. But he needs time.
The Nashville Predators have made a lot of mistakes in their history recently, and if they don’t change direction, they could be headed for another one.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? A roundup of rumors and trending topics from around the league. We also post some content on Instagram.
