![]() “We want to become more of an offensive team and Andrew specializes on that side of the ice - he lived it as a player, and he coaches it as a coach, Trotz said. Trotz, meantime, has an eye on building on the Predators' youth and offensively skilled players as he takes over as GM for David Poile, who is retiring at the end of June after 26 years overseeing the franchise. “It has been awesome to see how this city and its fanbase have grown since I played here and I look forward to continuing the legacy and the culture behind the bench that Barry cultivated that inaugural season.” “I feel like this is coming full circle for my career - from pulling on the jersey for the first time 25 years ago to returning now to take care of some unfinished business," Brunette said in a statement. Their relationship goes back to 1993-94, when Brunette played under Trotz, who was head coach of the Washington Capitals' American Hockey League affiliate in Portland, Maine. He becomes just the fourth coach in the history of a Predators franchise and returns to Nashville, where Brunette played for the Trotz-coached team during its inaugural season in 1998-99. Brunette finished second in the Jack Adams Award voting for the NHL’s coach of the year. He was promoted to interim coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season and oversaw a team that set franchise records for wins (58) and points (122) in claiming the Presidents’ Trophy before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. The 49-year-old Brunette spent the past season as a New Jersey Devils associate coach under Lindy Ruff and has previous head-coaching experience. The Predators fired Hynes on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, moving on from him more than six weeks after missing the playoffs. ![]() Chris Seward/AP Show More Show Less 3 of4 FILE - Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes looks on in the second period during an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Sunday, Oct. ![]() ![]() The coaching shuffle in Nashville is complete, with Andrew Brunette officially hired as the Predators coach on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, a little over 12 hours after the team announced that John Hynes was fired. Marta Lavandier/AP Show More Show Less 2 of4 FILE - Florida Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette, left, congratulates Brandon Montour (62) as the team leaves the ice after an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Wednesday, Feb. 1 of4 FILE - Florida Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette yells during the second period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Sunrise, Fla. ![]()
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