The Nashville Predators are starting to feel stagnant as a franchise.
After one of the worst seasons in franchise history, despite a smattering of player moves, the core of the roster is intact, and so is the coaching staff and management team.
The likelihood of the Predators making a change in upper management is slim, however, the NHL has recently seen a rise in former players joining the front office in the role of Director (or President) of Hockey Operations.
Hockey fans will know names like Steve Staios, Keith Jones, Chris Drury, Steve Yzerman, Bill Guerin, Joe Sakic, Pat Verbeek, and Kevyn Adams. All of them are former players who are in upper management. A good portion of these names are also in the general manager position.
Who is in the role of Director of Hockey Operations for the Nashville Predators, you ask? Brain Poile, who also serves as the assistant general manager. Poile, of course, is the son of David Poile, Predators architect and Hall of Famer. He seems to be fine in the role, but he isn't exactly someone that people are typically looking to hear speak, and isn't someone that people tend to believe is able to stand up the the other Predators legend, Barry Trotz.
So what if the Predators were to hire a former player? It would certainly be splashy and a player with ties to the organization and who has recently retired could help bring a valuable perspective to the squad. Now, who exactly are some of these candidates? Let's go through them.
Joel Ward
Currently an assistant coach with Las Vegas, Ward seems closer to being a head coach, but frankly, in any role, he's likely to succeed. A great hockey mind, Ward made an 11 year career as a player and now he's a rising name in many hockey circles. He had a 3 season stint in Nashville and it would be very interesting to see him call it home again. He'd also be a popular name to come up if there is a coaching change as well.
Dan Hinote
Hinote put together over a 500-game NHL career and has previously worked for the Predators. Currently, he's coaching in the AHL for the Colorado Golden Eagles. Much like Ward, Hinote took a skill set that had obvious limits and made the most of it. When you have that background as a player, it tends to make you a good coach as well as an executive. He isn't exactly a former Predator, but he has knowledge of organization at a level that would be important.
Stu Grimson
Stu has been away from hockey for a bit, but is still a fiercely intelligent person with a long NHL history, and even better, a law degree, which always helps come contract time. There isn't much that Grimson hasn't seen over the course of his career, and he's worked for the NHL and been a Predators broadcaster. He could be brought up to speed and jump into a role like this. He isn't a long -erm Predator, but he's in the area and worth giving a call to.
Peter Laviolette
The former coach was with the Predators from 2014 to 2020 and was recently fired by the Rangers. He guided the Predators to their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance. He's a well-respected American coach and won a Stanley Cup with Carolina back in the 2005-2006 season. However he's been fired 6 times, and his time time as a coach might over for good. With his exerpeince though, it might be a really good idea for him to kick up to managment and lend his wisdom.