Winning cures all, and the Nashville Predators have been doing a lot of winning lately which has calmed down some of the speculation about people in leadership positions getting fired. At least for now.
Elliotte Friedman recently said on the 32 Thoughts podcast that Predators owndership led by Bill Haslam is giving Trotz "more runway" after early season rumblings that Trotz's general manager days being numbered.
Elliotte Friedman: Re Predators: There were some questions, if [owner] Bill Haslam was gonna make changes, I've heard Barry Trotz still has runway there - 32 Thoughts (12/22)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) December 25, 2025
The discussion by Friedman and his co-host Kyle Bukauskas was about the press conference held by Haslam while introducing Nick Saban, Alabama football head coaching great, as a new minority owner for the Nashville Predators.
""I've heard Barry Trotz still has runway there. And I'm really curious about where all of this is going to go because there is a lot of different ways Nashville can go here. I still definitely think they're going to try to get younger"."Elliotte Friedman, 32 Thoughts
Barry Trotz's GM job for Nashville Predators appears safe for now, but still a lot of time for things to go sideways again
Trotz, along with his head coach Andrew Brunette, was under a ton of scrutiny just a month ago around Thanksgiving as the Predators appeared to be heading towards an even worse finish then their 68 points from last season. The team had no direction and looked lifeless with an imminent fire sale coming soon. We were even hearing reports suggesting that the Predators were eager to start selling soon.
Then Trotz suggested that he needed a little more time to see if this team can respond and save their season before pulling the rip chord, and what you do know that's exactly what this team did. They responded to the chagrin of the segment of fans who want the tank job to continue.
However, the Predators have been on somewhat of a heater since then winning 10 of 14 and just looking like a completely different team. One that is bought in to Brunette's system and finding more chemistry that's leading to a much more entertaining product for the fans to consume.
Now of course this could all come crashing down again just as fast as it got built back over the past month. There is still plenty of time for that to happen before the trade deadline, and then we're right back to where we were when the Predators got ran out of the building by the Florida Panthers to an 8-3 home loss on November 24.
Just me reading between the lines here and making my own assessments on the situation for Trotz and the new ownership, the "runway" term from Friedman makes sense. But it also doesn't mean that Trotz is just completely safe, either. I see it as there is still a lot to be determined with how this season unfolds, starting as soon as we get out of the holiday break.
The Predators are in a crazy situation where they seem ready to rebuild and restock with younger players, but are also suddenly back in a playoff race with their veterans playing really well. Regardless, there are contracts that need to be moved with upcoming free agents, like Michael Bunting, Erik Haula, Cole Smith, Michael McCarron and Nick Blankenburg.
Ryan O'Reilly trade value was also mentioned in this segment on 32 Thoughts, and Friedman elaborates on how vital O'Reilly is to the Predators. It has also been reported that O'Reilly wants to stay in Nashville and be part of the solution, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
Pierre LeBrun: Ryan O’Reilly sees himself as part of the solution in Nashville and doesn’t want to abandon ship. I can certainly see a world in which he doesn’t go anywhere; there’s still time for things to change before the trade deadline - The Athletic (12/24)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) December 26, 2025
Going back to Trotz, he might have some runway like Friedman is hearing from sources, but I also don't think he is all cozy with this newer ownership. If this thing goes crashing off the rails hard and a doomsday fire sale happens, I can see Trotz once again being under the microscope to be let go along with Brunette.
The interesting tight rope they're going to be walking is trading the right players while also finding ways to stay competitive if they're still in this playoff race deep into February.
If the Predators go right back to being one of the worst teams in the NHL coming out of the holiday break with losing streaks and a sluggish offense again, then Trotz's seat will and should get heat up.
January will be intriguing to see if the Predators can keep this up. Then who knows how Trotz will handle this trade deadline. It will be fascinating.
If they're still winning consistently and in the playoff race in February, they probably still trade guys like Bunting, Haula and either McCarron or Smith. That will free up space to get younger while also keeping their core intact to stay competitive in the playoff race.
Moral of the story here is there's still a lot of regular season left to play before we proclaim Trotz's job truly safe, but kudos to the Predators for managing to keep this interesting as the calendar flips to 2026.