The Nashville Predators made a hire and finally rounded out their coaching staff for the 2025-2026 NHL season. They've brought in someone with as much experience as you could find on the ice and behind the bench.
Joining the staff and rounding out the bench for the 2025-2026 season will be Luke Richardson. Richardson, along with every other member of the bench staff, has played in the NHL. The grand total of combined games is 3,656 regular-season games.
Head coach Andrew Brunette played in exactly 1110 games. An impressive number for sure. Richardson has him beat, though, having played 1417 NHL games. Derek MacKenzie and Darby Hendrickson are sitting at 611 and 518 , respectively.
Richardson's NHL career started in 1987 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and lasted until the 2008-2009 season with the Ottawa Senators. Richardson was never a high point producer, but was a solid minutes-eater and as tough as they come, regularly dishing out hits, blocking shots, and clocking hundreds of penalty minutes. He was also known for being as intelligent as he is tough, and it was no surprise when he followed the pathway to coaching.
He joined the Ottawa Senators coaching staff shortly after his retirement, serving as an assistant from 2008 to 2012, behind the bench for Erik Karlsson's 2011-12 Norris Trophy campaign. He went down to the AHL to coach the Binghamton Senators from 2012 to 2016. He jumped back into the National League for the New York Islanders (2017-2018) and then over to the Montreal Canadians for 2018 through 2022. He was part of the Canadians' miracle run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021.
Richardson finally got his head coaching opportunity with the Chicago Blackhawks from the 2022-2023 season until this December. He was fired by the team after posting a 57-118-15 record over parts of 3 seasons. He was trying to oversee a rebuild, but in the Central Division, that is a very tall order. They pulled the plug, but the Predators are ready to get him back behind the bench.
From the press conference, Barry Trotz had this to say about Richardson.
"Luke brings a wealth of NHL experience as both a player and coach to our staff, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to the organization. With that experience, we believe he will be a valuable new voice and set of eyes, not just for our defensemen, but for our coaching staff. His strong character, leadership, perspective as a former NHL head coach, and ability to connect with both young and veteran players will elevate our team on and off the ice.""Barry Trotz va Predators Press Release
This was followed up by Andrew Brunette's comments on the hire.
"When I think of Luke Richardson – aside from being one of the toughest defensemen to play against during my NHL career – I think of leadership, character and work ethic. I'm excited to have him join our coaching staff and feel the different perspective he'll bring to our defensemen, and team in general, will make us better. We're looking forward to welcoming the former NHL captain and his family to the Predators and getting to work on next season.""Andrew Brunette via Predators
Now, both of these are statements you'd expect from the bosses, but you have to wonder if Trotz is planning for the future, and if Brunette is seeing the writing on the wall. Richardson is still highly respected in hockey circles, and it is pretty clear he didn't have a competitive team to help his first outing as a bench boss. He's set up in Nashville now with a better roster, and a coach on the hot seat.
This also serves to mark the incredibly unceremonious end of Todd RIchards' time with Nashville. It was announced that he won't be returning.