The Nashville Predators continue their front office reconstruction efforts, this time addressing an important, yet unfilled role in the analytics department.
President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland announced Thursday that Hayden Speak has been hired as Director of Research and Development. Speak will assist in expanding the team's development of research models, which evaluate teams and players across multiple levels of hockey, and build tools that aid the coaching staff with its game preparation.
"We are strongly familiar with the type of work Hayden produces, and it speaks for itself,” MacFarland said in an official press release. “We are excited to add another person with significant NHL experience to our ever-expanding hockey analytics department."nashvillepredators.com
Prior to joining Nashville, speak spent the previous seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, working for then-GM and current Predators Executive V.P. of Hockey Ops. Rob Blake. He demonstrated excellence in his tenure with the Kings, getting promoted from an analyst to senior analyst of amateur analytics before ultimately being named manager of research and development before the 2025-26 season.
Speak started his analyst career with the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga Steelheads for nearly four years. He earned his bachelor's at the University of Central Florida and his master's degrees at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Georgia Tech. Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Speak has been surrounded by southern culture for a good chunk of his life, and relocating to Nashville just makes sense.
Predators' recent hirings show team isn't wanting to slug behind competition any longer
The Predators have typically been what is considered a traditional franchise. Management hired players straight out of retirement, like Pekka Rinne and Mark Borowiecki, preferred promotions over out-of-house hirings, and showed deep loyalty to their aging veterans.
Under Trotz, there was a limited supporting cast. It was a one-man band for Nashville. MacFarland on the other hand has taken action to fill administrative gaps, hiring a handful of experienced names to help him construct the future of Predators hockey.
He hired Blake to be his Executive V.P. of Hockey Ops. and Jamie Langenbrunner as Special Assistant to the GM. Vukie Mpofu was later hired as Assistant GM and Dawson Sprigings as Assistant to the GM. While some of these hirings have previously worked with MacFarland or Blake, it is nice to see that not only will there be chemistry among them but also more detailed experience and less of a workload for MacFarland.
The addition of Speak shows that the Predators are trying to find ways to get better that do not just involve trading and signing players. MacFarland has indicated in the past that developing the prospect pipeline is key to constructing a winning roster, and Speak's experience in that department will be crucial to doing so.
MacFarland will have a strong cast around him to being the 2026-27 season. Rumors have remained relatively quiet as of late, so it is uncertain what path the Predators may take heading into the season. One thing's for certain however, as the wide array of hockey backgrounds and experience will help advance this team in the right direction.
Add us as a preferred source on Google