Nashville Predators: Questions As The Trade Deadline Looms
Will Davie Poile be the GM Next Season?
As the person who works to make the majority of the personnel decisions, the question of GM David Poile’s future is still unanswered and will probably remain so.
One side of Predators fandom would have Poile removed immediately and have called for this move for quite some time. Others have said he deserves to finish the season and leave on his terms.
Stranger things have happened, and nothing is out of the realm of possibility, but I wouldn’t expect Poile to be fired mid-season or at all.
With the position that the Predators are in right now, I would expect a gentle nudge out the door by ownership at the end of this season. Poile can help get the ball rolling with the rebuild and then quietly retire and ride off into the sunset.
With everything that Poile has done for the Predators organization and hockey in general, he deserves to retire from an organization that he helped build from the ground up.
Will John Hynes be the Head Coach Next Season?
If you look up the definition of “hot seat,” you will see a picture of Head Coach John Hynes. With the way the Predators are playing right now, Hynes might not be the head coach next week, let alone next season.
But in all fairness, Hynes has yet to have any type of normalcy with the Predators since taking over in January of last year. He hasn’t even had the luxury of a regular training camp.
However, his job is to motivate and teach the players and coax greatness from them. His Predators team looks fantastic on paper and should be in contention for the third or fourth playoff spot in the Central Division. That isn’t happening, and the playoffs are a pipe dream at this point.
The Predators are without several key players as the injured reserve list reads like the typical starting lines report. This may be his saving grace right now and what may keep him in the job at least until the season is over.
Next season is anyone’s guess. The fair thing to do would be to give Hynes at least an entire regular season to see if he can be the guiding force during the early stages of a rebuild.
The reality is this is a business that is driven by wins and losses. The Predators have struggled all season and haven’t lived up to expectations.
When expectations are not met, the onus usually falls on the head coach. Their position in the organization is usually the first place that is looked at when a change needs to be made.
The Predators will eventually make a change in the head coaching position. Even with an entire season, Hynes is probably not the long-term solution as the Predators’ head coach.
Will the Predators Trade Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg?
With the Predators spiraling towards a rebuild, what two better players than Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg to help lead the charge. Unfortunately, that probably isn’t going to happen.
Ekholm is in the final year of his contract with the Predators. Once that contract ends, Ekholm is going to want to get PAID, and deservedly so.
Ekholm’s recent play has cemented his position as a top defenseman who will more than likely be in a top defensive pair on another team. With no guarantee that he would re-sign with Nashville, the move to trade him makes sense for the Predators.
Forsberg is having one of his best years, all things considered. He leads the team in points, goals, and assists. He is the shining star on a team that has gone dim.
While the talk has been that Poile doesn’t have Forsberg on the “not going anywhere” list, he shouldn’t be going anywhere.
Forsberg and Roman Josi are the crown jewels of the Predators organization. We know Josi isn’t going anywhere, and moving Forsberg would be a fool’s errand.
Forsberg will be needed for his scoring ability and his veteran leadership once the rebuild gets rolling. Getting rid of Forsberg would stretch the rebuild out longer than is necessary.
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The Predators must address the questions facing them sooner rather than later. A new GM, possibly a new head coach, and the loss of key players will have a massive impact on this organization.
However, these changes are necessary if the Predators are to move forward and succeed. While the immediate future looks bleak, it is exciting to finally see the changes needed for a couple of seasons come to fruition.