Andrew Brunette to return as Nashville Predators coach for 2025-26

The Nashville Predators will bring back Andrew Brunette as head coach to start the 2025-26 NHL season, general manager Barry Trotz announced on Monday. 

“Andrew (Brunette) is going to be our coach,” Trotz told reporters at Bridgestone Arena. “He is a good young coach. He had a tough situation this year… But like a good young player, you have to stick with a good young coach.”

After pushing the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Predators stocked their roster with veteran superstars ahead of 2024-25. Still, they sputtered to start the season and couldn’t find their form, finishing seventh in the Central Division with a record of 30-44-8. 

The results in 2024-25 were a significant downturn for Brunette, who joined the Predators ahead of the 2023-24 season, after the team split with previous head coach John Hynes. In his first regular season, Brunette led the Predators to a 47-30-5 record and earned himself a Jack Adams Award nomination, before the downturn this season. 

Despite adding Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos, the Predators struggled to score throughout 2024-25, netting the second-fewest goals in the NHL with just 214, an average of 2.61 per game. 

Only the last-place San Jose Sharks scored fewer with 210. 

Among his comments on Monday, Trotz also added that Brunette’s assistant coaches Todd Richards, Derek MacKenzie and Darby Hendrickson would return. However, he also suggested he would keep options open. 

Additionally, Trotz mentioned he was happy that Brunette will join Team Canada under head coach Dean Evason at the IIHF Men’s World Championship this spring, giving him a chance to learn from another experienced coach. 

With the head coaching picture clear, Trotz will now be able to turn his attention to the team’s retool in hopes of icing a more competitive roster when the new NHL season hits the ice on Oct. 7.