Chris MacFarland Is Putting His Stamp On The Predators
When General Manager Chris MacFarland took over the Nashville Predators, people expected him to make major changes to a group that had been spinning its wheels for several seasons. MacFarland moved quickly, making significant moves that pointed to the team getting younger without a full rebuild. The direction was unconventional, and to some it might have looked like a simple shuffling of the deck chairs, but MacFarland is a highly respected NHL executive, and if he’s making these moves, they make sense, even if it isn’t obvious.
MacFarland took over from Predators icon Barry Trotz, who, to put it nicely, had a very uneven tenure as Predators GM. The Predators had a lot of underperforming talent on their roster, and MacFarland began a steady approach to molding the team into what he wanted. MacFarland acquired Ross Colton and Jack Drury from Colorado, Mavrik Bourque from Dallas, and Nils Höglander from Vancouver. These moves made the Predators younger, added versatility to the forward group, and gave the team a bit more speed. At the time, McFarland showed he wasn’t just trying to add to his current core; he was also laying a foundation for his future core. That was until he moved Luke Evangelista to New Jersey. Evangelista was coming off a career year at 24 and was shipped out for a conditional 2028 first-round pick and a second-round pick. It was an interesting move, given that Evangelista was still young enough to fit into the future core, but MacFarland explained it as creating roster room while adding draft-pick capital. The move was a bit of a head-scratcher, as it ran counter to the logic of MacFarland’s other moves and muddied the waters.
And make no mistake, the waters were already murky in Nashville after the Trotz era, as the Predators still have a host of veterans on expensive deals, and many of them remain productive. Ryan O’Reilly is a great example, making just $4.5MM in the final year of a four-year deal. His age and contract status don’t exactly scream long-term fixture in Nashville, as his timeline doesn’t line up with the team’s timeline. O’Reilly remains a very effective forward for the Predators and has expressed an interest in staying with Nashville, but if the team is out of the playoff picture before the NHL Trade Deadline, MacFarland will likely want to move him, especially given his lack of trade protection. Ultimately, the decision on O’Reilly will come down to whether Nashville is in contention for a playoff spot or if they are far enough out to justify a sell-off.
MacFarland will run into similar situations with his other veterans, but their trade protection will make deals much harder to facilitate. Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault were signed as free agents a few years ago to lead the Predators back into contention; that hasn’t happened. Stamkos scored 42 goals last season and remains a strong offensive producer who would be easy to move if he agrees. But Marchessault has fallen off considerably over the last year-plus and would be difficult to move, especially given his no-movement clause.
While MacFarland has begun to make his mark on the roster, it’s not clear how he envisions the short- and long-term unfolding for the Predators. At the moment, Nashville has had a rough start to the season, winning just three of their first ten games; if that continues, one would have to imagine MacFarland will waste little time shaping the roster the way he sees fit. This could be where MacFarland starts making decisions that might be unpopular with fans and Predators players.
On paper, the Predators should be better than they have been over the past few years, as the team has too much talent to be this inconsistent. At the same time, the team isn’t good enough to be in the upper echelon of the Western Conference, which means they’ll likely get stuck in the middle again this year. That middle tier fits what the Predators have become, and MacFarland’s moves reflect that mindset. On the one hand, MacFarland is willing to move established NHL talent, such as Evangelista, for draft picks; on the other, he is trading draft picks for NHL-ready talent. Nothing is necessarily wrong with his approach, but it sends mixed signals to the team, players, and fans.
The plan in Nashville may seem foggy right now, but the Predators have nearly six months until the NHL Trade Deadline and should have time to better define their future plan. MacFarland has made future-focused moves with Bourque and company, and those moves have also given the team an added boost this season. Long-term, the plan isn’t clear, but as the season progresses, the Predators will either have veteran talent to trade or future assets and draft picks to acquire young NHL roster players.
