There’s a new general manager in town. There’s also going to be a new coach in town for the Nashville Predators.
John Hynes no longer will be head coach of the team, a person with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Tennessean on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NHL franchise has not announced the news.
The Predators are expected to hire Andrew Brunette as Hynes replacement, the source said.
Hynes, who has one year left on his contract, was 134-95-18 in three-plus seasons after taking over for Peter Laviolette in January 2020. Hynes led the team to the playoffs during his first three seasons. The Predators’ streak of postseason appearances ended at eight this season, when the team finished 42-32-8, three points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Their 92 points is the most in franchise history for a non-playoff team.
Despite a rash of injuries and being sellers at the trade deadline, the Predators managed to stay in the playoff hunt until almost the end of the season.
New general manager Barry Trotz, who is replacing the retiring David Poile this summer, said after the season ended in April that he still was in the process of evaluating Hynes and his staff.
“John has a contract,” Trotz said after the season. “This will be a process. I’m going to evaluate it from the players to the staff to John. We’re going to talk about his plan for next year and go from there. You have to respect the process.”
Trotz also said in April that he and Hynes “get along great,” adding that Hynes “has a great personality” and that both he and Hynes were “hockey nerds.” He also referred to Hynes as a “very well-prepared coach.”
Brunette, who scored the first goal in Predators history, has limited NHL coaching experience. He took over for Joel Quenneville during the 2021-22 season and guided the Florida Panthers to a 51-18-6 record and the Presidents’ Trophy.
He was an assistant coach for two seasons with the Minnesota Wild, and was an assistant general manager with the team. He was an assistant for Florida before taking over for Quenneville. Most recently he had been an assistant with the New Jersey Devils.
Brunette had 11 goals and 20 assists in his only season with the Predators. He played 1,110 regular-season games in 16 seasons overall, recording 268 goals and 465 assists while playing for six teams. He had 17 goals and 18 assists in 49 career playoff games.
Brunette was arrested and charged with driving under the influence on Feb. 1 after he was pulled over by police, who also charged him with two counts of disobeying a stop or yield sign while he was driving a golf cart.
According to Pierre LeBrun, the Predators also interviewed Spencer Carbery to be head coach. On Tuesday, Carbery was named head coach of the Washington Capitals.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators fire John Hynes, expected to hire Andrew Brunette
