The Nashville Predators saw their franchise defenseman dominate with a hat trick in the Men's World Championship. Behind the scenes, insiders reported on a few crucial details that might reveal what the Predators has in mind for its future front office.
Josi scores three in dominate fashion against Hungary
Roman Josi proved why he's still among the best defensemen in the NHL with a four-point performance yesterday versus Hungary. He scored the game's opening goals, scoring one in the first and two in the second period. He finished off the wild game with a primary assist on Switzerland's final goal of the night.
The four-point night tied him for sixth in tournament points with eight and first among defensemen. He also holds the highest plus/minus with a +12 rating. He passed USSR defenseman Alexei Kasatonov (51) for third for all-time defenseman tournament scoring (53), doing so in seven less games.
Josi is a driving factor in Switzerland's success at the Men's Worlds so far, going perfect in six games. Despite its roster not being as NHL-loaded as other nations, Switzerland's seemingly taking over the stat sheet. Forward Sven Andrighetto leads the tournament in points with 13 and forward Denis Malgin isn't too far behind with 10 points.
Josi and Switzerland play again on Tuesday, May 26th at 1:20 p.m. CT against Finland.
Preds GM talks deepen, and a new name enters
One rumor that seems to be sticking is that the Predators are holding off on a hiring to hear from a name currently competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. First reported by
Andy Strickland on May 14, and further stressed by Elliotte Friedmann a couple days ago, the Predators are waiting on someone who's either in the playoffs or under contract with another team.
Elliotte Friedman: Re Predators GM search: I think they're waiting on someone who they can't talk to yet, and whether it's someone who's competing for a Stanley Cup or someone who's under contract...that's I think where we are - DMase Vingan & Daunic (5/21)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) May 22, 2026
Some reports indicated that the mystery man may be Carolina Hurricanes associate GM Darren Yorke, but some also rule him out of the talks. Yorke has been with the organization since 2010, serving as the team's video scout, later director of scouting and player personnel and assistant GM before serving as associate GM. He is the Chicago Wolves' GM, serving since last season.
In other talks Jonah Sigel, a Toronto Maple Leafs insider, noted that Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland may pursue a higher position, such as the Predators Vice President of Hockey Operations role if both sides are open.
If true, won't go over well in Toronto, lots of buzzing out there the @PredsNHL will name @Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland as their new VP hockey operations, a promotion over GM role he currently has... Could be interesting
— Jonah Sigel | Sports media + streaming (@yyzsportsmedia) May 23, 2026
MacFarland's oversaw the creation of a championship-winning Avalanche roster and managed the team following it, keeping them in a competing status. He's made timely moves that greatly benefited the team, like the Mikko Rantanen-Martin Necas trade.
Considering the Preds are almost always afraid to trade their top pieces, having MacFarland could provide more clarity in the front office, encouraging the new GM to pursue the long awaited rebuild. Whether or not the rumor is true is unknown, but it's interesting to say the least.
The weeks leading up to the NHL Entry Draft will be what decides the team's future in the long run.
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