Andrew Brunette is expected to become the Nashville Predators head coach after the Preds parted ways with John Hynes on Tuesday, a source with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Tennessean.
Hynes, who had one year left on his contract, was 134-95-18 in three-plus seasons in Nashville and will reportedly be replaced with Brunette, the associate coach for the New Jersey Devils.
Brunette, a Sudbury, Ontario native, will be tasked with getting the Predators back to the Stanley Cup playoffs after Nashville missed the postseason for the first time since the 2013-14 after finishing 42-32-8.
Here are five things to know about Brunette:
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The original Nashville Predator goal scorer
Brunette’s first taste of the NHL came during the 1995-96 season when he was called up to play in 11 games for the Washington Capitals after playing that season for two American Hockey League teams, the Providence Bruins and Portland Pirates. He eventually played in 51 games for the Capitals before the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft that included Nashville.
He was selected by the Predators in the expansion draft and played in 71 games that first season. He scored the organization’s first goal, in the first period, in a 3-2 win over the Carolina Panthers Oct. 13, 1998. That season, Brunette scored 11 goals with 20 assists and 31 points.
Andrew Brunette’s coaching stops
Brunette’s only head coaching experience was with the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season. He took over as interim seven games into the season after Florida coach Joel Quenneville resigned in wake of the Chicago Blackhawks sexual abuse scandal.
The Panthers were 51-18 under Brunette and finished in first place in the Atlantic Division with 122 points and capturing the organization’s first Presidents’ Trophy. Florida beat Washington in six games in the first round of the playoffs but were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.
Brunette’s coaching career began in 2014 with the Wild as an assistant and also served as an assistant general manager in Minnesota. He joined the Panthers in 2019 and was hired by New Jersey in 2022.
Why Andrew Brunette was arrested in February
Brunette was charged with driving under the influence after he was pulled over in the Deerfield Beach, Florida, area, north of Fort Lauderdale, on Feb. 1, according to Broward County jail records.
He was charged with two counts of disobeying a stop or yield sign. Brunette posted a $500 bond and was released.
Brunette’s lawyer, Eric Schwartzreich, did not provide a comment when asked by The Tennessean on Tuesday.
A NHL career on the move
After that inaugural season in Nashville, Brunette played two seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers before playing three seasons with the Minnesota Wild (2001-04). He played for the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons before returning to the Wild from 2008-11. He finished his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2011-12 season.
During his 16-year career, Brunette, 49, played in over 1,100 games, scored 268 goals and had 465 assists. He had a seven-year stint (2002-2009) where he played in over 500 straight games, including playing a portion of the 2008-09 season with a torn ACL.
His best season in the NHL came with the Avalanche in 2006-07 where Brunette scored 27 goals with 56 assists and had 83 points playing primarily left wing for the Avs.
Andrew Brunette’s early career
Brunette played minor-league hockey for the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association in 1989-90. He played three seasons for the Owen Sound Platers of the Ontario Hockey League where he scored 128 goals, including a 61-goal season during the 1992-93 season that earned him the league’s scoring title.
He was drafted by the Capitals during the 1993 NHL Draft in the seventh round as the 174th selection. He played a season in the ECHL with the Hampton Roads Admirals before moving to the AHL. He scored 111 goals with the Providence Bruins and Portland Pirates through five seasons in the AHL.
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Andrew Brunette expected to be Nashville Predators coach: What to know
