It feels like the Nashville Predators are reaching a breaking point with the regular season just 16 games in, but the problem is the team is showing little to no progress under Head Coach Andrew Brunette.
In Brunette's third year as Nashville's fourth head coach in the franchise's history, the team looks stale at best. A vast majority of the fanbase appears to be apathetic, if not completely engraged. Many of the fans I come across lost their patience long ago, and to begin that process of rebulding the trust, Brunette has to go first.
However, the fans don't make the decisions. They can certainly sway a General Manager and upper leadership to make a head coaching change, but ultimately it comes down to how much of the blame GM Barry Trotz feels is on the shoulders of Brunette.
Andrew Brunette's head coaching seat is getting warmer, but Barry Trotz might show a little more patience this early in the season
To be quite frank, many of the fans would probably like a clean house situation and see Trotz go as well, but we know that's way more complicated and takes ownership to get involved. But if Trotz truly feels in his heart of hearts that this team is capable of so much more than what they're currently showing, then he might be pushed sooner into making a head coaching change this early in the season to try and save it.
To their credit, the Predators are showing a lot of fight and are losing almost every game in close fashion. But close doesn't count when trying to save a head coach's job, or at least it shouldn't. At the end of the day, you either accomplish the task at hand by winning or you fail and come up short.
Brunette has seen his Nashville Predators teams get off to sluggish starts in all three years he has been here. Not a great sign that he's right for the long-term future of this franchise. It's a very troubling trend that this team constantly is digging themselves out of an early hole in the season.
The Predators have a record of 5-7-4 with 14 ponts through their first 16 games. In the previous two seasons at the 16-game mark, they were sitting with 12 points. So if you really want to be technical, Brunette's start is the best he has ever had behind the bench for the Predators with a 5-7-4 mark. Still not a great look.
Then there's the other side of the argument which is this team lacks so much talent that what really can Brunette do? I just can't get on board with that argument fully because that is the head coach's primary job. To get the most out of your team, and you cannot say he's doing that right now with a team that rarely scores more than two goals in a game.
When the news initially came out that Brunette was coming back for 2025-26, I was cool with it under one condition that this team has to show quick progress over the first month. Well, we're one month in and I don't see much progress to be thrilled about. The team is 30th in goals per game, 28th in power play and once again showing they can't excecute on scoring chances.
It's not just about the overall record for me when judging Brunette's job security. It's about if this team is making progress under his leadership, and I just don't see it.
Now you can always find excuses for keeping a head coach around longer, and the injury excuse is one to go with. Roman Josi being out for an extended amount of time has certainly put a damper on this team's ability to execute their offense. But every head coach has to deal with injuries to their roster. You have to overcome that as a leader.
An overall lack of talent is another excuse to use for Brunette, but again, you're still the head coach and it's your job to get the most out of the team you have at your disposal. It looks horrible on Brunette that all of these veterans collectively look so much worse under Brunette than they did in their previous stops.
I don't see Trotz firing Brunette this early in the season, but we are getting close. I'm not sure how much good it would do except for to get an early head start on finding the next head coaching candidate. You'll be first in line, so to speak, in mid-season firings. The Predators might already know who their guy is and he's already in the organization.
We've always heard speculation that they would give Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor the next opportunity in the NHL. That would definitely energize the fanbase, and Taylor does deserve a promotion and has for a while. He has proven himself for many years with the Predators prospects.
It seems like Trotz is getting close to that breaking point, but I think he wants to wait this out a little bit more. You're a three-game win streak away from suddenly being in a playoff spot, so the sample size is still too small on 2025-26. You have three brutal overtime losses this season that could've easily ended in three extra points in the standings.
In Montreal, Jonathan Marchessault had a brain cramp and shot at an empty net, only for it to be blocked by a defender and watching the puck get rushed up the ice to send it to overtime. The Predators would lose in the closing seconds.
At home against Vancouver, Brady Skjei lost control of the puck and gifted it to Brock Boeser for a game-winner with two seconds left before the shootout.
And then finally just recently at Minnesota, it was the controversial goal where Justus Annunen dislodged the net but the officials still counted it as a Minnesota goal. So how much does Trotz weigh the horrible fortunes the Predators have had late in the games? Does Brunette get a pass for that or does it count against him because his team isn't executing in critical moments?
With that said, it does appear that it's a matter of when and not if Brunette gets fired at some point during this season if they continue down this same mediocre path. I don't see him, nor should he, making it to the offseason.
The Predators are hosting the Dallas Stars today in search of their first win over a divisional opponent in 2025-26.