Nashville Predators Make Trade and Will Retain Coaching Staff But Want to Improve

The Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t the only ones to make a trade on Tuesday. New President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland is starting to leave his mark on the Nashville Predators.

MacFarland became a familiar face as he traded Ross Colton from the Colorado Avalanche, along with his $4 million goalie and goaltender Isak Posch for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Colorado’s third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft (once traded to Nashville for a goaltender) and a goaltender.

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The expectation was that when MacFarland took over as the new head of hockey, he would get down to business quickly by making roster changes and getting smaller. The Predators needed depth in the middle. Colton is a player MacFarland is familiar with, given his previous stops as assistant general manager and general manager of the Colorado Avalanche.

Colton has been a name on the block for the past few years, and he gives the Predators more of a championship pedigree in the room that was missing. However, there are still questions surrounding the roster that need to be discussed, as Nashville is still one of the oldest teams in the NHL.

Remember, under former GM Barry Trotz, they won free agency by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Not to mention extending Juuse Saros for eight more seasons instead of moving on with Yaroslav Askarov. Things didn’t go as planned in Nashville, as they went from buyers to sellers, collecting picks and hopes to help turn things around.

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The question that remains is, where are the Nashville Predators? What is the direction of the club? As Chris MacFarland told SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, the players will tell him what to do.

I think that’s the question, right? I think there are a lot of good hockey players here, I think. There’s obviously players like Ryan O’Reilly and Roman Josi, and Filip Forsberg and Marchessault and Stammer, and they’re really good hockey players who have been good players on good teams and winning teams for several years, and, then there’s a good prospect pool, and some players here, and they’ve never even cut their teeth in the American National Hockey League. So, of course, it’s quite an interesting mix.

I think the players will tell us where we are, even in training camp, and the beginning of the year is like putting the pieces of the puzzle together, but we’re definitely excited about some of the young players coming here. We will not rush the process. I’m going to build an open, honest relationship with those key veteran players, and we’ll see where we are as the season goes on.

Again, there are decisions to be made with this roster, given that teams are interested in O’Reilly, Stamkos, and Marchessault, all of whom were available last season. O’Reilly has an unofficial-legal no-trade clause, but that was on Trotz. Stamkos and Marchessault each don’t have no-move clauses, but if it comes to the right deal, they could go somewhere.

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But the roster isn’t the only issue facing the Nashville Predators; coaching staff, too. When MacFarland took the job, he said Andrew Brunette and his staff were under scrutiny. They may still be on probation this season, but according to MacFarland, Brunette, Luke Richardson, Derek McKenzie, and Darby Henrickson will all return next season.

However, Brunette was on the hot seat last season, but thanks to Barry Trotz’s loyalty, he was not fired when the team struggled. While Nashville is turning things around, can Nashville carry it over this season? You have to wonder if you look at how the coaching cycle went last season, if the Predators can make a change if the team doesn’t live up to expectations.

But Chris MacFarland isn’t done making moves yet, as the Nashville Predators will be in action this offseason.

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