What now for the Predators? GM Barry Trotz on a puzzlingly bad year in Nashville

The Nashville Predators are playing out the string on a 2024-25 season that has been one of the most disappointing and puzzling in the NHL.

Its been an especially baffling campaign for a franchise that historically has the reputation of punching above its weight, like the Predators did last year in their surprising late-season run to make the playoffs.

Advertisement That run, in part, fueled an aggressive July 1 approach last offseason that resulted in fireworks.

The big additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei produced lots of excitement that day.

GM Barry Trotz, however, was the first to point out at the time thats it all fantasy hockey unless it actually comes together.

I think expectations were quite high with us, Trotz began in an interview at the end of the GM meetings last week in Florida.

We never really came together.

So, a little bit disappointing.

From my standpoint, I then went into a little bit of a next-year mold.

I use the term clean the porch to set it up for next year, with getting a little bit younger.

Well probably be a better team after this kind of disappointment.

Well be a little more engaged to do better.

And well stay with the plan.

Our plan has always been to continue to go younger in the next couple of years.

What we did last year in terms of the (free-agent) signings was to keep us in that competitive mode but this year we took a step back in terms of our slow start and never recovered.

Indeed, the teams 0-5 start in October dug a hole.

Trotz reacted by peeling away pieces throughout the year: Dante Fabbro was waived and claimed by Columbus on Nov.

10; Philip Tomasino was dealt to Pittsburgh on Nov.

25; Scott Wedgewood was sent to Colorado on Nov.

30; Alexander Carrier to Montreal on Dec.

18; pending UFA forward Gustav Nyquist to Minnesota on March 1; Luke Schenn and Thomas Novak to Pittsburgh on March 5; and Mark Jankowksi to Carolina on March 7.

So, Trotz hasnt sat on his hands.

He wanted his salary cap situation to be as tidy as possible entering this offseason, but theres also a desire to leave space for some of the organizations top prospects if theyre ready to make the jump.

Advertisement Yeah were not going to block anybody, said Trotz, who has three first-round picks at his disposal in this Junes draft (their own plus Vegas and Tampas).

Itll be a little more quiet in free agency.

If you look at it, adding a guy like (Michael) Bunting (in the trade with Pittsburgh on March 5) is a little bit of a free-agent signing already with one year remaining on his contract.

Hes a fiery player and he gives us some of that.

I think the addition of some younger guys ...

and we may try to fix our back end.

After trading away veterans Schenn and Carrier, the blue line has obvious holes.

One player Trotz didnt move was center Ryan OReilly, despite strong interest.

OReilly has two years on his deal after this season and he signed in Nashville intending to honor that contract.

There was a lot of interest in Ryan, Trotz said.

One of the things that we said when we brought Ryan in is that I knew the path was that we were going to need guys like Ryan to show the way to our young guys.

We have a little bit of a gap (with the younger players in the organization), you still had (Juuse) Saros and Forsberg in your lineup, and Josi, and they still have lots of good years left.

We wanted to supplement with a guy like OReilly and some other veterans to stay in that competitive window a little bit until our young guys arrived.

We have a gap with a lot of 19- and 20-year-olds that just need time, Trotz continued.

With Ryan, I brought him in for a certain reason and he wants to be a part of the solution.

There were some really legitimate offers (ahead of March 7 trade deadline), but thats something I will discuss with Ryan this summer.

We just have a good relationship in terms of what he wants and what we want and where we want to go.

In goal, it hasnt been the normal type year from Saros, who generally gathers Vezina votes every season, but the chaos around him on the ice has certainly played a part.

Advertisement Im a big believer in the team in front of you is a direct reflection of how the goaltending plays, Trotz said.

Theres a trust, theres a way you play.

We havent been consistent enough in our overall team play to give our goaltenders a chance.

It was unfair to our goalies this year, defensively, when we werent good enough.

One can sense a bit of strain in Trotzs voice as we chat.

Which is understandable.

This has been far from an ideal year.

The former Stanley Cup-winning coach has been GM for two seasons now.

What lessons have been learned from whats transpired? I think you look at things, you always say with the what ifs: what if we did that or did this? ...

I dont really look back, Trotz said.

I think the plan has always been in pen and the path has been in pencil.

I expected us to be more in the mix than we were this year.

With the start that we had, it just never came about.

One of the things that I learned about, in terms of the legacy players, they do take longer to assimilate and to feel comfortable and to feel like its more their team, Trotz said, referencing Stamkos and Marchessault.

So Im hoping those legacy players feel more comfortable in Nashville and assimilate better next year.

Thats the one take I can honestly say I thought it would be a little quicker and it wasnt.

But the other stuff, I dont regret anything that we did, he added.

For instance, if Stammer and Marchy werent scoring for us, I dont know who would be scoring, wed have Filip Forsberg and maybe Ryan OReilly.

But you know, I dont regret adding some of that veteran scoring to our group.

In terms of our overall team, Im just disappointed we didnt have any career years.

We had a lot of guys that I would say underperformed.

Thats a reflection of the whole group.

And he made sure to throw himself and his work as GM in the self-reflection.

Advertisement And even myself, I look at ourselves, and coaching, everything, we werent as good as we needed to be, Trotz said.

Trotz reiterated a consistent thought throughout the interview: The overall plan hasnt changed, even if the path this season sure did.

The Preds are trying to bridge the gap to their next wave of talent and had hope to stay competitive in the interim.

Perhaps theres a bounce-back year next season as far as competing for a playoff spot.

But it will require a lot of those veteran pieces to mesh better than they have this year.

(Top photo of Barry Trotz at the 2023 draft in Nashville: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images).

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