One thing that is all but a guarantee is that John Hynes will be head coach of the Nashville Predators next season. It is deserved after the end of the season push and strong effort in the playoffs, but I personally don’t believe that he is the guy to lead the team near a Stanley Cup.
Even when the Nashville Predators were playing their best hockey late in the season, my biggest criticism of him is that he still made some questionable lineup decisions, most of which I attribute to over-prioritizing players who fit his preferred style of play.
That’s not to say that Hynes doesn’t have good qualities as a head coach. He got the team to play with a chip on their shoulder when they started winning, and they won some extremely critical games against tough teams like Tampa Bay, Carolina and Florida.
Heart and fight can go a long way with for any team, but you cannot win a Stanley Cup without a coach who has strong tactical knowledge, which is what Hynes lacks. But there are five areas that if he showed serious improvement in next year, we should have reason to feel confident in him.