The Nashville Predators have only had one head coach in their 16-year history. That will change in 2014-15. Barry Trotz will not return as head coach, the day after the conclusion of the 2013-14 NHL season, as first reported by The Tennessean.
Barry Trotz out as Nashville Predators head coach
Barry Trotz is out in Nashville. He’s been their head coach since they entered the NHL in 1998.
Rich Lam
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Trotz led the Predators through their tough first seasons as an expansion franchise into respectability, where from 2003 to 2012 they became a playoff regular, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs all but one season during that stretch.
Trotz, along with general manager David Poile, was responsible for building the Preds into a contender from scratch, and Trotz was at least partially responsible for every big name player that’s ever played in Nashville. He finishes his Predators career with 557 wins, 479 losses, 60 ties and 100 overtime/shootout losses.
The Predators have taken a clear step backwards in the last two seasons. They’ve failed to qualify for the postseason two straight years, and offensive firepower has long been an unsolved issue for Nashville. Trotz’s ability to lead an injury-plagued, small-market club through those issues was well-established, but in the end, missing the playoffs two straight years was enough for change to finally come in Nashville.
No replacement has yet been named, but there are plenty of candidates. Trotz will likely not be without work for long.
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