The ice has been put in at Bridgestone Arena and the calendar has turned to September, which means the Nashville Predators will be back in action soon.
The Predators open training camp on Sept. 16. Then, after a four-game preseason slate Sept. 20-26, they host their season opener against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 1.
Nashville has had a busy summer. There's a new general manager, several new faces in the front office and seven new players on the roster. There's also a new television broadcast agreement with Scripps Sports, which includes a streaming service through ViewLift.
Here's everything you need to know about the Predators' offseason changes.
Chris MacFarland hired, turnover in Predators' front office
With the retirement announcement of Barry Trotz in February, majority owner Bill Haslam spent several
months interviewing for the team's next general manager. He finally made the hire in June, announcing former Colorado Avalanche assistant GM Chris MacFarland as the Predators' president of hockey operations and general manager.
MacFarland promptly reshaped Nashville's front office. After the departure of longtime assistant GM Brian Poile, he bolstered his executive staff with five outside hires:
- Rob Blake, executive vice president of hockey operations — hired June 5
- Jamie Langenbrunner, special assistant to general manager — hired June 17
- Dawson Sprigings, assistant to general manager — hired July 1
- Vukie Mpofu, assistant general manager — hired July 7
- Hayden Speak, director of research and development — hired Aug. 7
In addition, assistant general manager Jeff Kealty left the organization in July to join the San Jose Sharks.
Predators make six trades, sign four NHL players to contracts
MacFarland didn't stop with the front office. He added seven players to the NHL roster, brought back defenseman Justin Barron on a one-year deal and traded Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils.
- Acquired forward Ross Colton via trade with Colorado on June 16
- Acquired F Jack Drury via trade with Colorado on June 24; signed Drury to five-year, $22.5 million deal on June 28
- Acquired F Adam Edstrom via trade with the New York Rangers on June 27
- Acquired F Nils Hoglander via trade with Vancouver on June 29
- Signed F Alex Kerfoot to two-year, $7 million deal on July 1
- Acquired F Mavrik Bourque, D Ilya Lyubushkin via trade with Dallas on July 1; signed Bourque to six-year, $33 million deal on July 4
- Traded F Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils on Sept. 1
The biggest addition is Bourque, a 24-year-old center who immediately improves Nashville's depth up the middle. Drury and Colton will be solid defensive upgrades at forward, but are likely bottom-six contributors. Hoglander and Kerfoot are low-risk depth additions. Lyubushkin is a serviceable seventh defenseman.
The Evangelista move surprised everyone, but MacFarland maintains the trade return was worth it considering the current prospect landscape in Nashville.
"The depth of the winger market, the depth of our winger prospects, we feel we're very forward-heavy," MacFarland said on Sept. 1. "We've got a lot of wingers that are going to wear our colors for the next few years . . . (Evangelista's) a proven player, but we're very happy with the return."
Note that MacFarland also added the following depth players for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals: goaltender Isak Posch (trade); forward Chase Bradley (trade); defenseman Jack Ahcan (signing); and defenseman Hunter Skinner (signing).
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com, follow him on X at @alexdaugherty1 or check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators offseason primer, every move GM Chris MacFarland made over summer
