Andrew Brunette's seat shouldn't be remotely warm for struggling Nashville Predators

The first scapegoat for a drastically underperforming team is usually the head coach, but as of now that shouldn't be the case for Nashville Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette.

Brunette's team just recently climbed out of last place in the entire NHL by blanking the Utah Hockey Club 4-0, and then grinding out an overtime point at the Colorado Avalanche in a thriller.

Perhaps the team is turning a corner and finally starting to get back up to preseason expectations, but they also have a lot of ground the make up and the current road trip will be very telling as to which direction they're going in.

It didn't take long for Brunette's name to start coming up as being on the hot seat

However, for Brunette you are already starting to hear speculation and questions surrounding just how safe his job is in the eye of General Manager Barry Trotz. And to be fair, NHL head coaches get changed like a pair of socks these days.

NHL Watcher, a popular hockey follow on twitter/X, threw out the hottest of takes that current Boston Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomer will end up with the Predators, while Joe Quenneville will fill the Boston vacancy. No mention of Brunette in their prediction, other than that obviously they believe he will be fired eventually.

What really catches my attention is the speculation that Trotz could take over as head coach for the fired Brunette, per TSN analyst Bryan Hayes.

"“I wouldn’t be shocked if the owner at some point went to Barry Trotz and said ‘You know what, I still think you’re a better coach than GM.’” Hayes said. “You got to make this work. They spent a lot of money, they committed to a lot of guys.”"

Bryan Hayes, TSN analyst

Right now I just think this is all pure skepticism because the Predators are arguably the most disappointing team in the league right now. Actually, there is no argument really, they are the most disappointing no matter how you slice it.

Through a lot analytics you see that the Predators have been victims of a lot of bad puck luck to go along with failing to finish on their chances. Brunette's system is working in a lot of respects, except of the players actually scoring goals.

The Predators have the worst shooting percentage in the NHL according to MoneyPuck, sitting at a rock bottom shooting percentage rate of 7.86 percent. Their luck has to change, right? Right?

According to SportLogiq date, the Predators are one of the worst underperforming teams in terms of finishing on their chanes in the entire NHL. So surely their luck has to turn around soon, and this Brunette firing squad will cool off?

I just don't see Trotz giving up on his prized head coach so abruptly, and certainly not in the midway point of the season. Brunette is signed to a four-year deal that started during the 2023 offseason. There's just no fathomable way Trotz jumps ship on Brunette in Year 2 after Brunette was a Jack Adams Award finalist in his first year.

Trotz will enact some trades and cuts before he gives up on Brunette

Trotz is more inclined to start trading away depth players and restocking with younger talent and seeing how Brunette handles that assignment before he makes a decision on if Brunette is truly the right head coach for the remainder of his current deal.

Brunette's seat shouldn't even be lukewarm right now. Give it another month and if the Predators are still flirting with last place and the playoffs are a lost cause, then you can start your rumblings about just how safe Brunette's job is. They have time to see their puck luck turn around and stacking some points in the standings to make their comeback.

The Predators' current playoff odds according to MoneyPuck sit at 14.3 percent. Their preseason odds were in the 60's.

Until then, this team still has time to go on a winning streak and make things interesting just like they did last season. At some point it falls on the veteran players to step up and finish on their scoring chances. Brunette can't suit up and do it for them.

It's much more realistic that Brunette gets canned at some point in 2025-26 if the Predators are going down the same path again. I don't see it happening this season no matter how bad it gets, but of course crazier things can happen and you never completely throw out any possibility when it comes to NHL head coaches getting fired.

If the Predators miss the playoffs by a long shot and go into the offseason as a drastic failure, then we can talk about just how safe Brunette's job security is. We're a long way from that here in mid-November of his second season as head coach.