The Nashville Predators made the decision everyone was waiting for them to make to begin the offseason, and it revolves around head coach Andrew Brunette. Despite the terrible 2024-25 season and the vitriol around him, Barry Trotz has decided to bring back Brunette to at least start his third season behind the team's bench.
Looking at the Predators as a whole in 2024-25 and what Brunette had done beforehand, it is understandable why Trotz is giving his guy another chance. Even then, there are plenty of valid criticisms about the decision, and it could come back to haun the organization next year and moving forward.
Now, if you are reading this, you might be thinking "Wait a minute, hold on. Everything you have written and talked about has been backing Brunette, and now you are trying to argue the other way after he is actually being kept??? Have you lost your mind, are you just looking for clicks, or both?"
Ultimately, no, my stance on Brunette has not changed, I still support giving Brunette another chance as unpopular as it is among the Predators fanbase. However, I can still see areas where he could have done better in 2024-25, and if they do not get better in 2025-26, he likely will not get the benefit of the doubt even from me.
What I will cover here are the top reasons against keeping Brunette, and why I still think that even with those issues, retaining him is not all that bad, at least for now.