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02/02 09:26 CST Barry Trotz is retiring as Predators GM once a successor is
found, AP source says
Barry Trotz is retiring as Predators GM once a successor is found, AP source
says
By TERESA M. WALKER and STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --- Barry Trotz is retiring as general manager of the
Nashville Predators after just under three years on the job but will stay on
until a successor is found, a person with knowledge of the decision told The
Associated Press on Monday.
The decision is not health-related, said the person who spoke to the AP on
condition of anonymity because the team had not commented on the situation.
A news conference with Trotz, majority owner Bill Haslam and CEO Sean Henry is
scheduled for noon Central.
Trotz, now 63, took over control of hockey operations from longtime GM David
Poile in the summer of 2023. The Predators made the playoffs the following
season after Trotz fired coach John Hynes and hired Andrew Brunette to replace
him.
After spending $100 million in free agency to sign Stanley Cup champions Steven
Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei on July 1, 2024,
set expectations high, they were one of the NHL's biggest disappointments with
52 losses in 82 games and nowhere close to playoff contention.
Nashville is in the mix past the midway point of this season but appears to be
an organization at a crossroads 19 months since Haslam assumed control. Stamkos
still has two years left beyond this one on his contract at a salary cap hit of
$8 million, Skjei four more at $7 million and Marchessault three more at $5.5
million.
They and center Ryan O'Reilly are all in their 30s and could be potential trade
chips ahead of the March 6 deadline or in the offseason.
Whoever follows Trotz will have big decisions to make on those players and
others, along with Brunette and his staff. The core of franchise goaltender
Juuse Saros, captain Roman Josi and top forward Filip Forsberg is signed for
the foreseeable future, providing a foundation that could win again sooner than
later with the right moves around them.
Trotz's second act with the Predators was much shorter than his first, when he
coached them from their inception in 1998 through 2014, bringing respectability
and relevancy to an expansion team playing in a so-called nontraditional
market. He moved on to Washington and was behind the bench when the Capitals
won the Cup in 2018 and spent four seasons coaching the New York Islanders
before returning to Nashville.
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Whyno reported from New York.
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