“Those guys usually aren’t traded," MacFarland said Wednesday in Nashville, one day after being hired by the Predators. "Usually, you have to go through some pain to get those guys in the draft and the acquisition cost on those types of guys and the marketplace is astronomical. This 10th pick (in the 2026 NHL Draft) is something that I’m super excited about. There’s lot of different ways to skin the cat, but the true franchise player is usually drafted and it’s usually part of the journey.”
The 56-year-old replaces Barry Trotz, who announced Feb. 2 he would retire as GM but held the role and assisted in the selection process until his successor was identified. Trotz will stay as an adviser until his contract expires at the end of next season.
Nashville (38-34-10) finished four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference after they were last in the NHL on Dec. 1 (8-13-4). The Predators have not won a playoff series since defeating the Avalanche in the first round in 2018. The previous season, Nashville lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final in six games.
The Predators have not qualified for the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.
“There is the danger that we’re in the mushy middle and those are all kinds of things that we’re going to chat about internally and we’ll figure it out,” MacFarland said. “There’s lots of good players here, there’s lots of good prospects and there’s picks that we’ll either use to continue to build the prospect pool here at the right age-bracket or will be used to acquire a certain level of assets.”
MacFarland joins the Predators after four seasons as GM of the Avalanche; he was promoted from assistant GM on July 11, 2022, with Joe Sakic taking the role of president of hockey operations, shortly after the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. Colorado made the playoffs in all four seasons of MacFarland's tenure and won the Presidents’ Trophy for having the best record in the NHL this season (55-16-11), but was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.
MacFarland leaves the Avalanche after 11 years with the organization. He was named assistant GM on May 21, 2015, and helped rebuild a team that was last in the League in 2016-17 (22-56-4) into one that has made the playoffs in every subsequent season. Colorado's 119 points led the West in 2021-22 and it went 16-4 in the postseason en route to winning its first Stanley Cup championship since 2001, with a six-game victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sakic will resume the role of Avalanche GM for the foreseeable future, owner Josh Kroenke said. That includes the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft and the start of the League year.
The core of Colorado’s team was built through the draft, with captain Gabriel Landeskog selected with the No. 2 pick in 2011, MacKinnon selected with the No. 1 pick in 2013, and defenseman Cale Makar selected with the No. 4 pick in 2017.
It’s a process MacFarland said Nashville may have to try and emulate to become a contender.
“Whether you look at Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane (of the Chicago Blackhawks) and Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (of the Penguins), those teams were good for a long time because of that process," MacFarland said, "and Colorado was no different with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, two giants in that lineup and that room, and you sprinkle in a Cale Makar and presto. But those guys aren’t readily available and there are some years when you’re picking high when that type of talent isn’t in the draft, so it’s a challenge.
“But what I can say? Whether it’s a trade or a free agent, we will leave no stone unturned. I think you can build a competitive team that can win hockey games and be dangerous in different ways. We will be ready that if there is an opportunity to strike from the outside, we’ll have done the work, we’ll be prepared, and we’ll have the information and be ready to go.”
MacFarland said his conversation with Predators chairman and majority owner Bill Haslam and his desire to win the Stanley Cup brought him to Nashville.
“It was going to take a hell of an opportunity and situation to get me to think about leaving Colorado," MacFarland said. "I loved everything about it as I think you can tell from the players and the team there, I was very attached and still am to a degree, I’m not going to lie, I wish them the best. He (Haslam) didn’t hesitate and said the goal here was to try and win, and that’s really all I needed to hear. The city speaks for itself, your organization speaks for itself.
“When he answered that, that got me really excited. Sometimes there’s short term pain, and I’m not even sure it’s pain, for me it’s part of the journey, part of the process to building a team that can win consistently and have a chance.”
MacFarland wants to build a winning culture in Nashville similar to the one he left in Colorado. He said the one of his first tasks was to talk to coach Andrew Brunette and the rest of the staff and get a feel for things before making any decisions.
“We have to trust the process, enjoy the ride,” MacFarland said. “We want to build something here and be a part of the team here, and we want to get the little kids in Tennessee to get the tattoo on them from an early age, so that we can ride through the challenging years, enjoy the great years, but make hockey something that’s in the blood of every young Tennessee fan and build something really, really special.”
