The Nashville Predators are replacing John Hynes as head coach by signing Andrew Brunette, according to sources speaking with ESPN’s Kevin Weekes on Tuesday.
An official announcement is expected Tuesday afternoon.
After taking over for departing head coach Peter Laviolette on January 7, 2020, Hynes was part of the Predators for a portion of four seasons. In Hynes’ first two full seasons, Nashville made the playoffs but lost both times in the opening round. After a 42-32-8 season marred by injuries, the Predators missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 this year.
Hynes exits the company with a 134-96-18 overall record.
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Brunette hasn’t had a head coaching position since being designated the Florida Panthers’ interim head coach on October 28, 2021. When Joel Quenneville left the position due to the consequences from the Kyle Beach case involving the Chicago Blackhawks, Brunette was promoted to take Quenneville’s place as an assistant.
With a franchise-record 51 victories and 108 points, Brunette led the Panthers to the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s finest regular-season team. However, the Panthers’ good fortune didn’t last through the playoffs, and they were eliminated by Tampa Bay in a sweep of the second round.
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Bill Zito, the general manager of Florida, finally decided against removing Brunette’s temporary status and hired Paul Maurice as the Panthers’ new permanent head coach. For the 2022–23 season, Brunette moved on to work as an assistant for the New Jersey Devils.
Nashville has Brunette back in a place he is familiar with. He played in 1,110 NHL games and spent the 1998–1999 season with the Predators, when he scored the inaugural goal for the new team.
The choice to change coaches also represents the first significant action made by Barry Trotz, the new general manager of Nashville who will succeed David Poile when the latter formally departs in July.
