How New Head Coach Andrew Brunette Fits Into Barry Trotz's Preds Vision

As he prepares to step into his new role as General Manager of the Nashville Predators on July 1, Barry Trotz made his first major personnel move when he announced the hiring of Andrew Brunette as the fourth head coach in franchise history. The move not only signaled a new era of hockey in Nashville, but also raised a question:

What is Trotz's vision for the Predators franchise, and how does Brunette fit into that vision?

When Trotz formally introduced Brunette at a press conference at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, the answer to that question came clearly into focus. Reflecting on the 2022-23 season and looking ahead to 2023-24 and beyond, Trotz identified two key goals for the franchise - and he believes Brunette will help in achieving both.

"One was getting back to the pillars of the 'Predator Way' that I remembered from the time I was here [as a coach]," Trotz said. "Another would be to play an entertaining, offensive brand of hockey that our fans could enjoy watching… because after all, we're in the winning and the entertainment business."

The 'Predator Way'

The basis of the Predators identity is, and has always been, a commitment to consistency, speed, relentlessness, determination and being hard to play against.

"I want a culture," Trotz said. "I want our team to play faster. I want our team to play with more skill and learn. I want those pillars of Predator relentlessness and determination…. I think to the core values of this organization, if you put out your best effort, the fan base and everybody will recognize it. Everybody hates laziness, and this group won't be lazy. It will be relentless, hopefully, and it will be determined."

The 'Predator Way' is just as much psychological as it is physical, and Trotz believes Brunette can foster the right mental approach in the locker room.

"Once you can have that mindset, then all the other stuff comes - the offensive stuff, the winning, the consistency," Trotz said. "So the mindset to me is getting back to doing what's right and what's good for the betterment of the group. We have a lot of those components; we've just got to get it tweaked a little bit, and Andrew will do that."

After all, who better to reinvigorate the Predators commitment to their core values than a member of the franchise's inaugural team?

Brunette, a seventh-round pick by the Washington Capitals, came to Nashville via the NHL Expansion Draft in 1998. He played for Trotz, Nashville's first-ever head coach, on the Predators' inaugural team in 1998-99, recording 31 points (11g-20a) in 77 games, scoring the first goal in franchise history on Oct. 13, 1998 vs. Carolina. Prior to that, Brunette began his professional career with the incoming Predators GM as his head coach on the AHL's Portland Pirates in 1993-94, where the two won the Calder Cup.

A veteran of more than 25 years in the NHL as a player, coach or front-office member, Brunette returns to Nashville with an inherent understanding of the organization, the fanbase, the city and its core values - and a wealth of knowledge and experience to boot.

"He knows how our organization works and is run from top to bottom and understands what we're trying to do with his club," Trotz said. "We're trying to get younger, we're trying to retool and build a team that can win a Stanley Cup. I've gotten to know Andrew well both personally and professionally during our 31 years of relationship. I have the utmost confidence that he can lead us to where we want to go."

Entertainment Value

Trotz has spent the last few months in Nashville evaluating the Predators from top to bottom, analyzing the assets they have, those that are coming through the prospect pipeline and identifying gaps that need to be filled in both areas.

"I want to play faster," he said. "I want to have a team that has a really good identity. I want us to be an exciting team. And when I started thinking about all those things… that's Andrew's strength. I've known Andrew a long time. You've seen it in the teams he's coached with - they bring a style of that flair. At the same time, they're really responsible on the other end of the puck, and he knows that that's been the 'Predator Way.'"

Trotz believes that the Predators are ideally situated to embrace a winning culture under Brunette. He made note of the "great development" happening at the AHL level with the Milwaukee Admirals, as the Predators affiliate is currently competing for the Western Conference title in their quest for the Calder Cup.

"The best development tool is what they're doing right now," Trotz said. "They're still playing, and that is invaluable. And that's going to be handed on to a really good, offensively detailed coach. I can tell you one of the things that Andrew does is he demands discipline, but they have fun. They have fun, enjoy the game, enjoy coming to work, and that's what I think I really like about Andrew."

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, a coach's top priority is his players. To get the most out of them requires a unique combination of hockey IQ, leadership qualities and empathy through personal experience - all of which describe what Brunette brings to the table.

"What I was really looking for was a connection, and he can connect," Trotz said. "I'm excited for our franchise, the fans, the players - especially the players - because they will play for this guy. He's a fabulous human. He knows the game. He's got 1,100 games [of NHL playing experience]. He's got the cache. He's done it. He's played in the East Coast League. He's played in the American League, and he's played at every level."

Brunette is a player's coach. He's relatable, and he understands that success isn't always linear - nor is it guaranteed.

"When you're in the seventh round, you're probably not a high prospect," Trotz said. "He had a fantastic career. He can talk the game with a high-end guy like Filip Forsberg or [Matt Duchene] and those guys about how things happen on the power play and offensively. He can relate to someone who's coming up from Milwaukee… He didn't do it the easy way. He wasn't a first-round pick. And so he's done all that. And I think if you get to know him, Andrew is very easy to talk to. He's a hockey junkie. He's made it, he's done it, he's lived it. He coaches it, and he teaches it."

As Trotz often says, "We play hockey; we don't work it." He wants to get back to the 'Predator Way,' and he wants to do it in a way that's fun and exciting not only for the fanbase, but for the players as well. He got his guy in Brunette, who he believes will be a galvanizing force in the start of something special in Nashville.

"What it all comes down to is you've got to connect with people, and you've got to have a vision," Trotz said. "You can go a lot farther as a group than you can individually, so I want someone who can bring a group together - someone who can teach the game, someone who can bring joy to the game."