Stop dragging this out, it's time for Nashville Predators to move on from Andrew Brunette

My stance on firing or not firing Nashville Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette has drastically shifted just in the last few weeks, but now is the logical time for GM Barry Trotz to take the plunge.

I'll give Trotz this; he has prove how incredibly loyal he is to Brunette, and by doing so has ironically even called his own job into serious question. In fact, most fans belive that firing Brunette comes in a package deal with also firing Trotz. Of course that gets a lot more complicated with ownership having to get involved and a complete burn to the ground scenario needing to occur.

Just for the sake of talking about Brunette's job security, I can't even imagine the most pro-Brunette fan making an argument to keep him any longer. The head coach almost always falls on the sword first when things go drastically wrong, so playing the blame game between Trotz and Brunette is pointless. The head coach goes first almost always.

As of this writing on Monday after the Global Series, Brunette is still employed by the Nashville Predators this afternoon. If Jared Stillman, formerly of 102.5 The Game, is correct then we're about to find it in hours that Brunette is gone.

But what if Trotz keeps kicking the can down the road, which is what this feels like at this point?

Nashville Predators needed to prove something positive for Andrew Brunette in Sweden, and they failed despite getting a comeback win

The Predators just wrapped up their two-game NHL Global Series showing with a split with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They needed a surprising comeback to win in overtime on a Steven Stamkos game-winner, and then completely no-showed in the second game. It looked like a team that had no more left to give, and this is the biggest indictment I have for Brunette. His team doesn't seem to be fighting for him anymore.

You're going to stumble into some wins every now and then, and that's all that happened in the first game in Sweden. It was entertaining to watch, and I don't want to take anything away from the comeback. The point is, this team is allergic to stacking wins and showing long-term consistency, which hurts the cause for keeping Brunette.

You're not even seeing the Predators going down swinging. If that were the case, then you could make the argument that Brunette deserves a little more time. But this team looks lost out there the majority of the time, and it looks like we're just prolonging the inevitiable. Fire Brunette now, wait a couple months, or fire him next offseason. Either way, it seems almost certain that it's happening one of those three ways.

Peter DeBoer, former Dallas Stars head coach who had a lot of success there until it all came crashing down last postseason, is a name you're going to be hearing a lot to potentially replace Brunette behind the Predators bench.

We all know the NHL loves to recycle head coaches, and DeBoer leads the list of candidates who will eventually get another shot. There could be a race to see who gets DeBoer first by firing their current head coach. If the Predators like DeBoer as a potential fit, then why would you wait any longer holding onto Brunette when it's pretty apparent this isn't going to work out long-term?

We're also at a delicate point in the season where it's not all lost yet. We're just shy of being 25 percent of the way through, so bringing in a new head coach now to jolt this team full of energy just in time to salvage everything. Right now only the Calgary Flames are keeping the Predators from being at rock bottom of the NHL standings.

DeBoer is an old school type of head coach. He left Dallas in messy terms by losing the locker room over pulling franchise goaltender Jake Oettinger. His time with Vegas ended ugly as well, only to post three-straight seasons of 100-plus points with Dallas.

That's the risk that comes with DeBoer, but the Predators need a results-oriented guy. I love the potential fit as Nashville's next head coach after Brunette, even with the potential that he pushes players too hard or has some past baggage. The Predators need someone who has a long track record of winning at the NHL level, and DeBoer has that record.

Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor, who has six seasons with Nashville's AHL affiliate, is a popular choice among fans to be next in line behind Brunette. This is a more risky hire than DeBoer because Taylor has never proven anything at the NHL level. His track record with Milwaukee is outstanding, but the prospect he has coaches have mixed results on the NHL level.

The Predators could also end up going with a more unknown coaching candidate out there. Someone who is currently an assistant coach and deserves the next opportunity. If they went that route, that wouldn't look good at all for Taylor to just be skipped over. It's either a proven NHL head coach like DeBoer, or keep it in-house with Taylor.

Perhaps Trotz hasn't pulled the rip chord on firing Brunette yet because he doesn't like the current landscape of available head coaches. If that's the case, then maybe he's riding out the Brunette era longer and hoping for a miracle turnaround.

That last scenario is one I'm hoping isn't the case. Brunette has gotten his fair opportunity, and it just hasn't worked out. The roster isn't great as it is, and yes that's on Trotz, but again I'll go back to the head coach falling on the sword first before the GM.

Now is the time to do it, but I don't think Predators fans are going to get their full burn down to the ground scenario.

My first prediction is that Brunette is gone sometime this season, and they go the interim route. Then they'll do a proper head coaching search in the offseason of 2026 with likely another high end lottery draft pick and many of the current veterans already traded away. Maybe even Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O'Reilly.