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Nashville Predators general manager Chris MacFarland has made a decision on coach Andrew Brunette.
In an interview on NHL Network Radio on June 16, MacFarland confirmed that Brunette will return as coach for the 2026-27 season. He also confirmed that assistant coaches Luke Richardson, Derek MacKenzie, and Darby Hendrickson will be back as well.
"I talked to Andrew Brunette yesterday for a long time," MacFarland said in the interview. "I'm looking forward to getting to know him next week and in development camp and moving forward."
When MacFarland was introduced on June 3, he said he would meet with Brunette and his coaching staff to discuss the direction of the team. At the time, it was unclear whether Brunette would be retained or if MacFarland would make a change.
Though MacFarland has already made changes to the Predators' front office, he's leaving Brunette in charge of coaching for now.
"I'm sure we'll spend a lot of time together over the next few weeks," MacFarland added.
The Predators hired Brunette to replace John Hynes as coach in 2023. In his first season, Brunette led Nashville to the playoffs, where they lost in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks. His second and third seasons have been difficult, especially 2024-25, which saw the Predators finish third-worst in the NHL. In three seasons, Brunette has a 115-108-23 record with Nashville.
Brunette, 52, also coached the Florida Panthers, first as an assistant in 2019-20 and 2020-21, then as head coach in 2021-22 after Joel Quenneville resigned early in the season. The Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy that year, but were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs by Tampa.
Following the 2021-22 season, Brunette was not retained by the Panthers. He served as associate coach for the New Jersey Devils for the 2022-23 season before arriving in Nashville.
Prior to Florida, Brunette served as assistant coach, assistant general manager, and director of player personnel for the Minnesota Wild from 2012 until 2019.
TRADE: Nashville Predators acquire center Ross Colton in trade with Colorado Avalanche
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. He never uses artificial intelligence when developing or drafting stories. Contact Alex at [email protected]. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Andrew Brunette will remain coach of Predators, Chris MacFarland says
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In an interview on NHL Network Radio on June 16, MacFarland confirmed that Brunette will return as coach for the 2026-27 season. He also confirmed that assistant coaches Luke Richardson, Derek MacKenzie, and Darby Hendrickson will be back as well.
"I talked to Andrew Brunette yesterday for a long time," MacFarland said in the interview. "I'm looking forward to getting to know him next week and in development camp and moving forward."
When MacFarland was introduced on June 3, he said he would meet with Brunette and his coaching staff to discuss the direction of the team. At the time, it was unclear whether Brunette would be retained or if MacFarland would make a change.
Though MacFarland has already made changes to the Predators' front office, he's leaving Brunette in charge of coaching for now.
"I'm sure we'll spend a lot of time together over the next few weeks," MacFarland added.
The Predators hired Brunette to replace John Hynes as coach in 2023. In his first season, Brunette led Nashville to the playoffs, where they lost in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks. His second and third seasons have been difficult, especially 2024-25, which saw the Predators finish third-worst in the NHL. In three seasons, Brunette has a 115-108-23 record with Nashville.
Brunette, 52, also coached the Florida Panthers, first as an assistant in 2019-20 and 2020-21, then as head coach in 2021-22 after Joel Quenneville resigned early in the season. The Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy that year, but were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs by Tampa.
Following the 2021-22 season, Brunette was not retained by the Panthers. He served as associate coach for the New Jersey Devils for the 2022-23 season before arriving in Nashville.
Prior to Florida, Brunette served as assistant coach, assistant general manager, and director of player personnel for the Minnesota Wild from 2012 until 2019.
TRADE: Nashville Predators acquire center Ross Colton in trade with Colorado Avalanche
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. He never uses artificial intelligence when developing or drafting stories. Contact Alex at [email protected]. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Andrew Brunette will remain coach of Predators, Chris MacFarland says
Continue reading...
