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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.
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 was scheduled for Monday afternoon. Head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters he learned Monday morning Trotz was stepping down.
“I guessed I was as surprised as everybody else,” Brunette said. “Wasn’t expecting that today.”
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 head coach John Hynes and hired Andrew Brunette to replace him.
After spending $100 million US in free agency to sign Stanley Cup champions Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenceman 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 centre Ryan O’Reilly are all in their 30s and could be potential trade chips ahead of the March 6 deadline or in the off-season.
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.
