The Nashville Predators split their NHL Global Series in Stockholm with a storybook 2-1 overtime win on Friday, followed by a devastating 4-0 shutout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
“It was disappointing,” head coach Andrew Brunette said of his team’s performance in Game 2. “I think the traction that we gained, we let slip away again.”
Such is the story of Brunette’s entire tenure behind the bench in Nashville, and we now have a large enough sample size now to acknowledge the fact that the 18-game point streak from 2023-24 was pure variance — a hot goalie, career shooting streaks, and schedule luck. Suddenly, Stockholm becomes the mask-off moment.
Nashville’s disastrous Global Series split — paired with Brunette’s own comments — creates a uniquely urgent window for Barry Trotz to act. This is exactly the moment where doing nothing becomes a choice to drift, not compete, and certainly not develop.
Brunette’s “losing traction” comments weren’t honesty; they were a red flag. He essentially confirmed that his own philosophy of free-flowing, pace-driven offense isn’t compatible with a roster built around aging veterans, the Predators’ DNA (defensive responsibility, layers and goaltending insulation) and emerging youth who need defined roles rather than chaotic transitions and ambiguous identity.
What Brunette said out loud is what Trotz has quietly been fearing for months: Brunette’s system was never built for this group, and forcing it is stalling the development curve of the young players Nashville should be prioritizing.
A good GM recognizes when the coach is telling you, directly or indirectly, “My system is no longer working for your roster.”
The time for a coaching change in Nashville is now –– and the window is shockingly narrow
Nashville has six full days off and a chance to reset before hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. It’s the kind of schedule breakpoint that doesn’t come around often in the NHL, and it’s the kind of opportunity GMs wait for when making major midseason shifts.
If Trotz waits, the narrative becomes “Brunette’s job is day-to-day.” Players tighten up instead of growing, and the young core develops in a system the GM may not fully believe in. The fanbase sees the front office as indecisive—not rebuilding, not contending, just drifting.
Waiting turns this into an avoidable mess (if it’s not there already). Acting now turns this into a controlled reset.
A team can survive being bad, young, injury-riddled or “in transition.” What it cannot survive is being both bad and directionless.
Right now, Nashville has no clear identity, no system fit and a coach openly saying he’s losing grip. That leaves young players stuck between philosophies and veterans confused by their roles, which leads to no momentum or progress markers. This is precisely the moment for Trotz to stop the drift before it becomes a defining trait of the organization.
Roster Does Not Fit The Coach
This roster isn’t contending. This roster isn’t even in the mushy-middle safely. The only correct strategic objective is to prioritize development over chasing playoff illusions. But development cannot happen when the coach is desperate, the system doesn’t fit the players and accountability is selective.
Trying to force Brunette’s system for the sake of “continuity” only guarantees bad habits, eroding confidence, stunted growth, system fatigue, veteran frustration and youth stagnation.
A coaching change isn’t about winning more games; it’s about stopping the organization from losing the season’s true purpose. Waiting is how seasons get wasted and reputations get scarred.
If Trotz waits another week, the team will be deeper in the standings hole and the locker room body language will deteriorate. Young players will start pressing, and veterans will check out. The window to cleanly install an interim system will close, and the narrative becomes reactive instead of proactive.
This week is the opportunity to pivot. Next week becomes an emergency. The week after becomes damage control.
Predators have a built-in interim option in Luke Richardson
As for an interim replacement, Luke Richardson –– who has NHL head coaching experience with the Chicago Blackhawks –– is already on the coaching staff.
Would Richardson be the guy to completely turn things around in Nashville? Probably not. But he wouldn’t be hired to chase a playoff spot; he’d be hired to help stop the bleeding and establish a baseline identity before the season turns into a lost, rudderless slog.
If you’re punting on the season (and Nashville should), you at least punt with purpose, not confusion.
Nashville’s Stockholm split wasn’t just two games; it was the moment the illusion broke. Brunette admitted what the Predators’ record has been screaming: his system doesn’t fit the roster, the traction is gone, and this season is slipping into the kind of inconsistent slog that stunts development and kills culture.
Trotz has a rare, clean opportunity — with a long schedule break — to reset the identity, elevate development, stabilize the locker room, and begin shaping the future. If he waits, the moment becomes muddied. If he acts now, the organization gets clarity, direction and purpose.
This is the window.
It’s open right now.
And it won’t be open long.
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