MacFarland Arrives in Nashville Eager to Begin New Chapter With Preds

The wait was well worth it. 

After a four-month search for a new general manager that spanned far and wide across the National Hockey League, the Nashville Predators determined Chris MacFarland was their man. 

Officially hired on Tuesday to become not only Nashville’s new GM, but also its President of Hockey Operations, MacFarland began to settle into his new surroundings with a press conference inside Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday morning. 

With a Preds pin gracing his lapel just hours after leaving his previous role as general manager of the Colorado Avalanche, the Jim Gregory Award nominee for NHL GM of the Year thanked those in his past before looking ahead to what should be quite a future. 

“We can't wait to become part of the community here and dig in with my new teammates in the organization, and I’m super excited,” MacFarland said of his new opportunity. “We want to build something here…and make hockey something that's in the blood of every young Tennessee fan and build something really special.”

Seated alongside Predators Chairman and Majority Owner Bill Haslam, as well as CEO Sean Henry, MacFarland did his best to learn names and become acclimated in a building he had never spent more than a few hours at a time in previously. 

Now, he’s set to make his mark on a franchise that’s ready for a new infusion of ideas. And long before today, Haslam had an inkling his new GM might just be the one. 

When Barry Trotz announced back in February his intention to resign as general manager once a successor was found, the search for that individual began immediately. When names started to emerge, and even though he was still under contract in Colorado, the Predators were interested in MacFarland. 

“[When I saw the initial list of potential candidates], I looked and I said, ‘Wow, if we could get Chris MacFarland, that would be terrific,’” Haslam said Wednesday of the process. 

Of course, the Predators had to wait to talk to MacFarland directly, but as Haslam stated, they could still learn plenty about him in the meantime. 

Haslam and the rest of the Nashville search committee, including Minority Owner Nick Saban, did their due diligence, and there was a constant that kept coming up. 

“When you talk to other great general managers and presidents of hockey ops around the League, and I said, ‘If you were me, who would you go get?’ Haslam recalled. "And Chris’ name came up time and time again from the very best people in the League. And then you talk to other folks who are just associated and knew him from his time with the [Avalanche], they all said the exact same thing. So, it took patience, took a little persistence, but I'm really thrilled to announce Chris MacFarland as our new General Manager and President of Hockey Operations for the Nashville Predators.” 

After posing for a photo holding a Gold Preds jersey emblazoned with MacFarland and a No. 26 on the back, the new GM thanked those in Colorado for the past 11 years that included a Stanley Cup win in 2022.

Leaving Denver was not an easy decision, but as MacFarland explained, the answer to one particular question helped to sell him on a move to the Music City. 

“I said, ‘Mr. Haslam, is the goal here to make the playoffs, make a Wild Card, feel good about that and high five each other? Or is the goal here to build a team that can compete and try to bring a Stanley Cup to Broadway?’ MacFarland asked. “And he didn't hesitate. [He said], ‘The goal here is to try and win [a Stanley Cup].’ And that's really, quite honest, all I needed to hear.”

With that reassurance of the aspirations of his new club, MacFarland and his family made their way to Tennessee to begin a new chapter with unlimited potential. 

While there is plenty of optimism to go around, MacFarland also wants to be honest about the narrative while recognizing the Predators may not be throwing a parade immediately. They finished just four points out of a playoff spot in April, but come October, a new season will begin with another story to write. 

MacFarland will ultimately determine the makeup of that group, and there is plenty of evaluation to take place in the meantime before the puck drops once again. 

“Obviously there's work to do here, and we're not where we want to be, but there's a lot of good pieces here, and there's a lot of draft capital,” MacFarland said. “But, ultimately the results happen on the ice, and we just want to put our players and the team in the best position to have success and make life as easy for them off the ice so that they can focus on the job at hand, which is trying to win hockey games - which is not easy to do in this League.

“We're going to look to get better. How quick that happens? The players will dictate that… [Winning] is a really hard thing to do. But I think the first step first is to build, get the foundation right, get the right people in place on the hockey side and to work with the players to help them maximize their abilities. And then, we’ll go from there.”

A whirlwind couple of days is just the start for MacFarland. With the NHL Draft just over three weeks away, followed by the opening of free agency on July 1, there is plenty of work to do. 

Planning and executing on those dates on the NHL calendar is challenging enough. Combine that with the fact MacFarland still needs to learn the names of most of his new staff, and the job ahead may seem daunting from the outside. 

But MacFarland exuded a calm and collected demeanor when discussing what’s next - no matter what opportunities present themselves. 

“What I can say is whether it's a trade, a free agent or whatever, we will leave no stone unturned,” MacFarland said. “I think you can build a competitive team that can win hockey games and be dangerous in different ways. We will be ready if there’s an opportunity to strike from the outside. We’ll have done the work, we’ll be prepared, we’ll have the information and be ready to go.”

The hockey side of this carries massive importance, and MacFarland’s accomplishments - over 25 straight years in NHL front offices and a Stanley Cup in 2022 to his name - speak for themselves. But there’s also another side to MacFarland that made him the ideal fit in a town where hospitality matters. 

As far as Haslam is concerned, there’s no question on that front. 

“You all know Chris' resume, you all know what he's done…but what you don't know is what really struck me about him, and that's the kind of person he is,” Haslam said. “Chris is somebody who we talked about being comfortable in your own skin. That's who Chris is. He is who he is. He has the self-confidence combined with humility to be an extraordinary leader. And that's, in addition to his resume, why we picked him… He’s got a terrific family, and his heart is with his family as well. So, he is going to fit perfectly in Smashville, and you all are going to come to appreciate him like I have over the last period.”

MacFarland is more than ready for what lies ahead, and while the Predators may not end up on the right side of the ledger every night, they certainly have someone at the top who is capable of getting them there more often than not. 

For that reason - and so many others - the wait was well worth it. 

And as a hockey lifer, he can’t wait to prove that over and over again.

“Sometimes it does take time, but I think that's the exciting part of it, right?” MacFarland said. “Rarely do you see [a team] go from zero to 100 in one year. If it was [always possible], it would happen a lot more than that, that's for sure. So, I’m looking forward to digging under the hood here, getting to know the internal people, and then starting the journey to build something special.

“The city speaks for itself. Your organization speaks for itself… I’m super excited to get to work.”