Predators Relieve John Hynes of Coaching Duties, Effective Immediately

Nashville, Tenn. (May 30, 2023) - Incoming Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has relieved Head Coach John Hynes and Assistant Coach Dan Lambert from their coaching duties, effective immediately. Hynes and Lambert both have one year remaining on their contracts with the organization but will be permitted to seek employment elsewhere.

Hynes went 134-96-18 in 248 regular-season games as head coach of the Predators from 2020-23, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times during his tenure. He reached the 40-win and 90-point mark in both of his full, 82-game seasons with the Predators, finished ninth in Jack Adams Award voting in 2021-22 and owns the second-highest point percentage (.577) by a head coach in franchise history.

"John Hynes is a good man and a good hockey coach," Trotz said. "He did an outstanding job after the trade deadline with our team, especially with our young players, and he is a well-prepared, hard-working coach who will continue to grow in the NHL. After our year-end meetings and some additional evaluation, it was time to change the voice and time to go in a different direction. On behalf of all of us at the Predators, we'd like to thank John for all his work here and wish him and his family all the best moving forward."

Lambert spent four seasons with the Predators as an assistant coach from 2019-23. Consulting on the team's forward group and working with its power-play units, Nashville went 19.5 percent on the man-advantage during Lambert's tenure, including a 24.4 percent mark in 2021-22, the highest in team history.

"There is no finer person than Dan Lambert," Trotz said. "Dan is a good teacher and a quality power-play coach. He did a nice job for us, especially with all the changes to our roster last season, but I believe a new voice is needed in this space for our team, so making a change is necessary. We want to thank Dan and his family for his service and wish him well as he continues his career."

"I'd like to thank John, Dan and their families for all they did for the Predators and our community," Predators President and CEO Sean Henry said. "We appreciate all their work during their respective tenures with us, helping our team push through so many difficulties that hit us all in 2020 - from the tornadoes to the pandemic and the Christmas morning explosion, they always had our team ready to serve the community. John and Dan also guided us to three playoff appearances and additionally ensured our team represented SMASHVILLE well in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series and in Bern and Prague in the 2023 NHL Global Series. We will always be grateful for their contributions."