Chris MacFarland has only been the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Nashville Predators for a few weeks, but he’s already begun the process of making changes to his new club.
Those tweaks first came with the addition of Rob Blake as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, followed by naming Jamie Langenbrunner as Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Then, a pair of trades came.
First, MacFarland acquired forward Ross Colton and goaltender Isak Posch from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nashville’s own third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Colorado’s own third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft (previously transferred to Nashville in a prior transaction) and goaltender Magnus Chrona.
On Wednesday, MacFarland then dealt with his former employer again, this time sending forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov to the Avalanche in exchange for forwards Jack Drury and Chase Bradley, plus Colorado’s third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.
MacFarland addressed the media Thursday morning at Bridgestone Arena following the deals - and ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft - to discuss a vision that’s beginning to come together, starting with the acquisition of Colton and Drury, a pair of forwards who will undoubtedly slot right into the Nashville lineup.
“With Ross, there was an opportunity to find an asset that has one year left on his deal,” MacFarland said of Colton. “I knew [Colorado’s] situation pretty good. I think Ross has a chance to play a bigger role here. He's a hard-nosed, competitive winger that can flex and play center…his utility value here excited our group. So, I think that we felt for that asset acquisition costs just made too much sense to bring in a competitive guy like that with one year on his deal who's 29 years old, and that we can then assess and see where he's at, how he flips, and then make a decision on him [for the future].
“Jack Drury, he’s still young, he's 26 years old, he's got a lot of hockey in front of him. He’s an elite, two-way defensive center who, if he's not one of the best defensive guys in the League, I don't know who is, but I think the really important part for me with Jack is he's a culture changer. He’s a competitive guy on and off the ice that does the right things day in and day out that help teams win hockey games, and I think his impact on an organization goes beyond the ice. It’s in the locker room. The impact on the future young Preds, whether it's Brady Martin or [Egor] Surin or [David] Edstrom or Felix Nilsson - it’s really hard to put a number on that. But having been around him and seeing what he does live and in color, there are things that he will impact that you can't put a just can't put a value on.”
With the Drury trade specifically, MacFarland reiterated his belief in what the centerman can bring to the group on and off the ice. The GM acknowledged Svechkov and L’Heureux are “going to be good players in this League, but you have to give to get.”
Drury, who played in all 82 games for the Avalanche last season while recording 10 goals, 27 points and won over 58 percent of his draws in the faceoff circle, is currently a restricted free agent who will need a new contract.
That’s expected to be addressed in due time, and MacFarland is eager to add a player who he believes is one of the best defensive centers in the NHL.
“Jack Drury is a guy that, like I said, is [maybe] not a 25-goal scorer, 60-point guy, but he is elite defensively - like, elite. And that ability for [a] coach to throw out a center against the other team's top players and feel comfortable doing so on the road is massive. Then, what Jack does off the ice and what he'll do for the young players, I believe, is really, really important long term… There were reasons for both of those [trades with Colorado] that we felt made it important [in the] bigger picture.”
Including the moves he’s made already, the handful of weeks for MacFarland have been a “grind,” as he described it, as he simply gets to know the rest of his staff in Nashville and determines which courses of action to take with his team.
One of those decisions has been to retain Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette and his staff behind the bench to start the season, something MacFarland says remains part of the evaluation process.
“I’ve got to get to know these guys,” MacFarland said. “I know them as people. I know they're good, honest people; good, hardworking people. I think to come in here with the part of the cycle that we're in, it just didn't make sense to not get a true evaluation, a day in, day out evaluation of them, whether through training camp and through the start of next season; so, I look forward to getting to know them even further, and how they like to do things, and how they like to play. And then we'll go from there.”
A major part of the offseason also comes in the form of adding or subtracting players from the roster - something MacFarland has already begun to do - but something that can also be accomplished through Free Agency, which begins on July 1.
So, how does MacFarland view the chance to sign players via that route?
“I think free agency is going to be interesting to see what happens here over the next few years,” MacFarland said. “I think we're going to see teams look to the trade market a little bit more. I don't know how many free agents are actually going to get there - a certain type, right? They’re usually a little bit older, and some good hockey players are going to be available on July 1. I think for us, we're going to probably be looking at a different age bracket type of thing, so we'll continue to kick tires on trades and that sort of thing…but I think we'll be calculated, if that's the right word.”
Ultimately, there is plenty of work to do, and while MacFarland and his staff will continue to put in the necessary grind, there’s plenty of optimism to go around for what’s to come.
And at this time of year, there’s no telling what could happen next.
“Obviously, we'd love to get stronger in the middle of the ice, we’d love to get more skilled in the middle of the ice, and transitional defensemen on the backend,” MacFarland said. “You've got to be able to move the puck and move it out of your own zone, but we can't snap our fingers and say by tomorrow night or the night of July 2, that poof, we're going to be there. This is going to take time, but can we get a little better in different ways over time? And I believe the answer to that is yes, but I [don’t have a] crystal ball to say we're going to be a playoff team next year. But the goal is to methodically build it and build it in the right way…as our team and staff and organization feel.”
