The 2024-25 season was the Nashville Predators' second-worst season by losses in franchise history since their inaugural year.
Coming off a thrilling offseason in which rookie General Manager Barry Trotz signed many of the best free agents available, people were labelling the Predators as contenders. Yet when the puck dropped, Nashville failed to perform well enough for a playoff berth, and far from it. With a busy summer looming for Trotz, one could wonder is he in over his head?
A few teams around the NHL feature a two-person front office in which there is a President of Hockey Operations and a General Manager. With the two working more hand in hand to shape a team, perhaps a more experienced hire for the Predators could benefit Trotz.
There were a few decisions that, if there were a more veteran hand on the wheel when it comes to managing a team and its assets, may have gone differently.
Waiver Woes Continue...
I don't need to remind Preds fans of the Eeli Tolvanen waiver incident. If any of them were able to forget, however, they likely were reminded when a similar incident occurred this year. Dante Fabbro was placed on waivers after being in and out of the lineup.
In 315 career games with the Predators, the now 26-year-old Fabbro scored 72 points playing an average of 18:00 in those years. He was drafted and developed by Nashville, playing the coveted Right defense position, in the prime of his career. The minute he hit waivers, many saw the writing on the wall.
Fabbro was happily claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were in the middle of a playoff hunt and suffering injuries on their backend. He quickly broke out as a reliable top-four option for Columbus after playing in 62 games after the claim. He registered a career high nine goals and a career high in points with 26.
More impressively, however, was Fabbro's ability on both sides of the puck, after being plus-26 this year, skating an average of around 21 minutes a night. How then could a player like that not have fetched a return in a trade, and how could he be believed to pass through waivers?
Trade Return Mismatches
Trotz made a few trades this year, including a deadline move that sent Center Tommy Novak and Defender Luke Schenn to Pittsburgh. Off the bat, Preds fans were disappointed, hoping to have gotten a better return, specifically for Novak. Centers were not readily available, and other players who were moved at that position fetched much higher returns. The Preds got back Michael Bunting and a fourth-round pick, and Bunting looked decent in his showing at the end of the season. However, when Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas immediately flipped Luke Schenn for a second rounder and a fourth rounder, it's hard to get the bad taste this trade left out of your mouth.
Add Another Mentor
While David Poile is still listed as an Advisor on the Predators' team site, Trotz has been mostly left to run the team himself. With many successful years as a head coach, he might need a few more years of learning management.
The Preds could and should debate the value of a separate President of Hockey Ops, and the GM could add. Two voices in the room, one to bring more experience where Trotz may lack it, could be part of the recipe to return this team to contention. Not to say Trotz can't manage this team to a Stanley Cup, but perhaps he was thrust into the role on his own too soon. With a busy draft and offseason, his decisions will be even more under the spotlight.