Chris MacFarland Takes Charge of Predators, Aiming to Build a Stanley Cup Contender

In his first appearance as the president of hockey operations and general manager of the Nashville Predators, Chris MacFarland took a moment to reflect on his past before turning his focus to the future. During his introductory news conference, he expressed gratitude to his former boss, Joe Sakic, and the Colorado Avalanche for the opportunities he received during his 11 seasons with the organization, including the last four as GM.

Now, MacFarland faces the challenge of transforming the Predators, a team that has missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons, into a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup. He described Nashville’s current situation as being in the “mushy middle”—not bad enough to secure a top draft pick, yet not strong enough to vie for a championship.

Predators chairman and majority owner Bill Haslam’s commitment to winning was a significant factor in MacFarland’s decision to join the organization. “Because it was going to take a hell of an opportunity and situation to get me to think about leaving Colorado,” MacFarland said. “I said, ‘Mr. Haslam, is the goal here to make the playoffs, make the wild card, feel good about that and high-five each other? Or is the goal here to build a team that can compete and try to bring a Stanley Cup to Broadway?’ He didn’t hesitate. The goal here is to try and win. That’s really, quite honestly, all I needed to hear.”

MacFarland steps into a role previously held by Barry Trotz, who announced his retirement from the GM position and will now serve in an advisory capacity. Having played a pivotal role in assembling the Avalanche team that achieved the NHL’s best record before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final, MacFarland is well-regarded in league circles and was a finalist for general manager of the year.

As he embarks on this new journey, MacFarland acknowledged the importance of taking time to evaluate the Predators’ roster and future direction. “It’s a fair question,” he said when asked how quickly he could transform the team. “I’m going to need time to poke around under the hood here and to truly get a feel for that.”

His immediate plan includes meeting with the coaching staff, including head coach Andrew Brunette, and the scouting team. With the Predators holding the No. 10 pick in the upcoming draft, MacFarland is weighing all options. He referenced his experience with the Avalanche, where the team used their 10th pick in 2015 to select Mikko Rantanen, a player he praised for his talent.

While he understands the importance of building a strong roster, MacFarland tempered expectations regarding the acquisition of a franchise player. “Those guys usually aren’t traded, right?” he remarked. “You usually have to go through some pain to get those guys in the draft and the acquisition cost on those types of guys in the marketplace is astronomical.”

However, the desire for a dynamic scorer reminiscent of Nathan MacKinnon is evident. “We will leave no stone unturned,” MacFarland stated, noting the presence of players like Filip Forsberg and Nicolas Hague at his introductory press conference. “We will be ready that if there is an opportunity to strike from the outside, we’ll have done the work. But those guys (a MacKinnon type) are hard to get and hard to acquire.”

Adding to the intrigue of MacFarland’s hiring was the involvement of College Football Hall of Fame coach and Predators minority owner Nick Saban in the recruitment process. Both Haslam and CEO Sean Henry praised Saban for his insightful contributions during interviews. “The way he evaluates things, it changes the entire interview process for us,” Henry noted.

As MacFarland acclimates to his new role, he’ll also need to embrace the unique traditions of Predators fans, such as the “Fang Fingers” gesture, which he humorously recalled as something that used to frustrate him when he faced Nashville as an opponent. “No matter what the record is, we are going to do things first class and we are going to build something special incrementally — small step by small step. Sometimes that takes time.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.