PHT’s 2021 NHL Trade Deadline Live Blog

By Apr 12, 2021, 3:28 PM EDT

Welcome to Pro Hockey Talk’s 2021 NHL Trade Deadline live blog. There’s already been a flurry of action in the past few days, but some names are still out there who could potentially be on the move before 3 p.m. ET today. Read on for news and analysis.

• Winners and losers of the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline
• NHL Power Rankings: Where things stand after NHL trade deadline
• Some contenders still missing pieces as NHL trade deadline passes

3:25 p.m. ET — Be sure to check out the NHL Trade Deadline Tracker for every move that goes down today. Later on Monday we’ll have our winner and losers from the trade deadline. Bye for now.

3 p.m. ET — Pencils down everyone! The deadline is here, but as you know deals can still trickle in and be announced after 3 p.m. ET. The final hour is usually the busiest, so the trade call line with NHL Central Registry gets backed up. More deals are likely still be come in.

2:42 p.m. ET — The Ryan Getzlaf/Vegas talk can quiet down now that the Golden Knights have gone in a different direction for a center. Mattias Janmark is heading to Sin City along with a 2022 fifth-round pick. Going to the Blackhawks will be a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 third-rounder.

The Sharks were also involved in helping broker the deal and will receive a 2022 fifth-round pick.

“I’m thrilled. The city’s very good and I think the team’s good, and they have a good chance to win,” Janmark told TSN’s James Duthie. “I’m happy I ended up in a place like Vegas.”

Other deals rolling in: Sam Bennett heads to the Panthers for a second-rounder and a prospect; Erik Gustafsson will join the Canadiens from Philadelphia for a seventh-rounder and the Flyers retaining 50% of his cap hit; Erik Gudbranson heads to Nashville; and Ben Hutton to the Leafs.

2:18 p.m. ET — Like Iafallo, Scott Laughton was another player whose ongoing contract extension talks led to trade rumors. But the center will be staying in Philadelphia after the Flyers inked the 26-year-old to a five-year, $15M deal.

Laughton has seven goals and 17 points in 38 games this season.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche has brought back Carl Soderberg in a deal that sends Jason Dickinson and Ryder Rolston to the Blackhawks.

1:46 p.m. ET — Alex Iafallo is officially staying in Los Angeles. The Kings announced the 27-year-old forward has inked a four-year, $16M extension.

Iafallo’s name had popped up in trade rumors recently, but extension talks went late into Sunday night to get a deal done. He has 11 goals and 25 points in 39 games this season.

1:38 p.m. ET — A sign that the Panthers are keeping their three-headed crease? Head coach Joel Quenneville announced that Chris Driedger will start Tuesday against Dallas. That means they’ll stay with Sergei Bobrovsky sharing the crease with Driedger and Spencer Knight staying on the taxi squad for now.

Driedger is having a solid season and is a UFA this off-season.

[MORE: Players who could be on the move Monday]

1:35 p.m. ET — Taking a break from trade talk, Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis told TSN that the franchise is expected to make its final expansion payment at the end of April, officially making them a part of the NHL. That will allow them to begin making trades and also have a vote .

Francis also said he’s comfortable waiting before hiring a head coach. There’s no rush at the moment and the coach pool could increase depending on what happens after the NHL season ends.

1:25 p.m. ET — Really, a delightful Twitter account:

1 p.m. ET — Is Ryan Getzlaf open to a trade? The 35-year-old Ducks captain is in the final year of his contract and has only known the Anaheim franchise in his NHL career. With the team moving in a younger direction, he might be willing to waive his full no-move clause to go to a Cup contender.

Enter the Golden Knights, who could use the forward depth. Add in the fact that Vegas isn’t too far from Anaheim and it’s a possibility we see before the 3 p.m. ET deadline.

“I’ve poured my heart into this organization and I want to see it come back to where it was,” said Getzlaf via Eric Stephens of The Athletic. “Whether that’s with me or after me, these kids are part of our future.”

12:13 p.m. ET — We have a trade! The Canucks have sent Adam Gaudette to the Blackhawks for Matthew Highmore. Gaudette is one of the few Vancouver players no longer on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list.  In 33 games this season he has four goals and seven points. He recorded 33 points in 59 games last season.

Gaudette is scheduled to become an RFA this off-season.

12 p.m. ET — Some defensemen are on the move, but not via trade. The Senators have claimed Victor Mete from the Canadiens and the Stars have added Sami Vatanen from the Devils.

The Vatanen pick up is an interesting one for the Stars. Pending UFA Jamie Oleskiak’s name has popped up in trade rumors, and adding Vatanen would appear to be some insurance in case “Big Rig: Dallas edition: is dealt by GM Jim Nill. Then again, you can never go wrong with depth on the blue line, especially considering Andrej Sekera‘s status after he left Sunday’s game with an injury.

Mete, 22, is an RFA this off-season, so the Senators, after moving Mike Reilly to Boston, gets a nice look at a young blue liner before deciding if they should keep him in the fold next season.

11:51 a.m. ET — Agent Allan Walsh Tweets that the NHL schedule should go dark on trade deadline day to allow players and team staff to handle the craziness that might come. It’s a very good point, but this season, with fewer games and plenty of rescheduled ones, it might have been difficult to do.

The NHL hasn’t gone completely silent in terms of games on deadline day, but just a year ago there a lone game on the slate. There were two games following the 2011 and 2017 deadlines and three in 2015. Perhaps next season, when we’re back to a normal 82-game, October-April regular season schedule, a night off for teams during a busy day can happen.

11:43 a.m. ET — Some fun to think about as we wait for a trade to break today. Following Jeff Carter‘s trade to the Penguins, we could be hearing about cap recapture again if the 36-year-old chooses to give up the final year of his contract (2021-22) and retire this summer.

Via Puck Pedia, since the Kings retained 50% of Carter’s $2M salary for the remainder of his contract, LA would be charged $3.1M on their cap if the forward hangs them up this off-season. Columbus would also get dinged $551K, while the Penguins would actually benefit with $381K of cap space opening up.

11:35 a.m. ET — Reminders as the deadline approaches, per the always reliable CapFriendly:

• Teams can now exceed the 23-player roster limit as long as it’s within the $81.5M salary cap ceiling.

• Trades can still be completed after the 3 p.m. ET deadline but the players involved will be ineligible from playing any remaining regular season and playoff games. Same goes for waiver claims.

• For players to be eligible to be sent down to the AHL, they must be on an AHL roster or NHL taxi squad by 3 p.m. ET today.

11:15 a.m. ET — As we wait for trades, the Capitals have announced that they will welcome fans back to games later this month. Beginning with the April 27 game against the Islanders, Capital One Arena will welcome 2,100 fans — 10% capacity — thanks to the The Office of the D.C. Mayor, D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, and D.C. Health approving the plan.

11:10 a.m. ET — Is Nikita Zadorov the next player Stan Bowman will trade out of Chicago? If contract talks end up with the big defenseman asking for a richer contract than the Blackhawks GM is willing to pay, then a move might be coming.

Zadorov would have to be qualified at $3.2M and owns arbitration rights, and the 25-year-old defenseman, can be an RFA this off-season. Teams like the Bruins and Jets are fishing to bolster their blue line.

11:05 a.m. ET — Does Rob Blake have another move in the cards? Alex Iafallo was one name on many trade bait boards, but it looks like he’s closer to staying in LA than leaving.

As contract extension talks continued, trade talk started bubbling up. But according to Pierre LeBrun, the two sides made progress Sunday night and it looks like the 27-year-old forward will be staying.

10:52 a.m. ET — Taylor Hall spoke with reporters Monday morning and said he was “really close” to signing with the Bruins before choosing a one-year deal in Buffalo.

“I was ready to come to Boston. It didn’t work out, and I had to choose between some other options,” he said.

Hall recognized the tough season he’s had and acknowledged he needs to play better. “It wasn’t the season I would have like to have, not even close,” he said. “These last few days you do some soul-searching, look to what you could do better in the future.”

“Unfortunately right now I’m not the most confident hockey player,” Hall added. “I don’t think it’s completely lost or anything like that.”

Hall said that his no-move clause “really helped me become a Bruin.” He could control his landing spot all while Sabres GM Kevyn Adams tried to bring in the best return possible for his end. (On that note, you know who will be the owner of a no-move clause beginning with the 2022-23 NHL season and is looking more and more like he won’t be long for Buffalo? Jack Eichel.)

He’ll make the drive to Boston from Buffalo today and expects to be in the Bruins lineup Tuesday night when the two teams play.

Hall will wear No. 71 in Boston:

As far as what happened in Buffalo? The start to the season set the tone.

“Confidence-wise, the team in Buffalo never got off on the right foot,” Hall said.

10:35 a.m. ET — How tough is pickle ball? Ask TSN’s Craig Button, who is sporting this following a pickle ball injury:

TSN

10:12 a.m. ET — Patrik Laine is a restricted free agent this off-season. The Blue Jackets have signaled they are in sell-mode, as we saw with the weekend deals of Riley Nash, Nick Foligno, and David Savard. Could Laine be the next to leave Columbus?

Unless an offer knocks GM Jarmo Kekalainen‘s socks off, probably not. Kekalainen has a vision for the Blue Jackets going forward and he’d probably like that to include Laine, so why not hold on to Laine and give yourself time to convince him to commit.

Laine is 22 and still several years away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency. Columbus owns his rights, so there is no rush for Kekalainen to lock the Finnish sniper down.

[2020-21 NHL on NBC TV schedule]

10:01 a.m. ET — A delightful Twitter account:

9:48 a.m. ET — What’s the reaction out of Buffalo to the Taylor Hall return?

From John Vogl of The Athletic:

It was not the ending Adams and Sabres owner Terry Pegula had in mind when they courted Hall.

“We sign this guy,” Pegula said, “We’re not only trying to make the playoffs, we’re trying to win the Cup.”

They didn’t win anything.

And let’s check in with Duane, the fed up Sabres fan who lost it following the announcement last May that the team was bringing back GM Jason Botterill (only to fire him two months later), who brings up the point of the deadline:

9:36 a.m. ET — Any help the Wild might keep looks like it will come from within. GM Bill Guerin is not willing to include any high draft picks or any of his top prospects in a deal.

“Listen, we’re a good team, and I want to see what this group of players can do,” Guerin told The Athletic’s Mike Russo last week. “So I don’t want to just do something to do something. There’s chemistry to take into account, there’s prices you’ve got to pay. It doesn’t always work out, and I could argue most times it doesn’t. It’s not just about going out and making a trade just to make a trade. We’ve got to make sure if we do it that it’s going to help.”

9:20 a.m. ET — Will Kevin Cheveldayoff strike big for the Jets? Or might he hesitance to part with some of their top prospects like Dylan Samberg and Ville Heinola lead him to a smaller deal or two? Defense is a top priority, but with David Savard moving to Tampa and Mattias Ekholm likely staying with the Predators, where we will he look?

His approach, however, will not about reacting to what his fellow North Division rivals do, as he told TSN this morning

“It’s not about trying to keep up, it’s making the right decisions for your team,” Cheveldayoff said.

Perhaps a trade might not be Cheveldayoff’s move. With Sami Vatanen and Victor Mete on waivers until noon ET Monday, those could be cheaper options.

9:10 a.m. ET — Taylor Hall has just one even strength goal this season. The Bruins need offense. Hall’s shooting percentage sits at 2.3% entering Monday. Will he rebound? GM Don Sweeney is counting on it, and with an aging core the Stanley Cup window is closing. Mike Reilly was added to help a battered blue line that also lost Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug during free agency.

9 a.m. ET — Welcome to the 2021 NHL trade deadline live blog! General managers sure were busy getting nearly a dozen deals out of the way since Saturday afternoon. Some of the big names, like Taylor Hall, David Savard, who were expected to move, have already been dealt. Who’s left? Glad you asked. Here’s our list of some of the players who might have a new team by 3 p.m. ET today. You can see all the deals by checking out our trade tracker here.

More NHL news

Penguins name former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas as director of hockey operations
Seattle Kraken sign GM Ron Francis to 3-year extension through 2026-27 season
Maple Leafs hire Brad Treliving as team’s new general manager

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.

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    Penguins name former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas as director of hockey operations

    Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 2:21 PM EDT
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    PITTSBURGH (AP) Kyle Dubas wanted to take a breath and take a break after being fired as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

    Then the Pittsburgh Penguins called.

    The break ended shortly thereafter.

    Dubas joined the Penguins as the team’s president of hockey operations, less than two weeks after a somewhat ugly exit from Toronto following a second-round playoff loss to Florida.

    The 37-year-old Dubas goes from one type of hockey crucible to another. In Toronto, he was tasked with helping the Maple Leafs emerge from two decades of postseason futility. In Pittsburgh, his mission will be to prop open the Stanley Cup window for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang a little longer.

    All three are 35 or older and haven’t won a playoff series since 2018. Yet Dubas believes strongly the issue isn’t the age of the franchise’s core but deficiencies elsewhere on the roster. Dubas replaces Brian Burke, who was fired along with general manager Ron Hextall in April after the Penguins failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

    “I heard a lot of people that were highly skeptical of the team’s ability to contend here and the way I view it, if the people want to bet against (Crosby, Letang and Malkin) they can go ahead and do so,” Dubas said. “But I’m going to bet on them and go with them here. I think it is a group that’s capable of contending to win a championship.”

    Crosby and Malkin were excellent for much of last season and Letang showed remarkable resiliency while dealing with multiple setbacks, including a stroke and the death of his father. Yet save for a 14-2-2 stretch in November and December, the Penguins struggled to find consistency and ultimately stumbled down the stretch to snap the longest active playoff streak in major North American Sports.

    While the Penguins do have $20 million in cap space and the 14th overall pick in this month’s NHL draft, significant changes or upgrades could be difficult in the short term.

    Dubas inherits a team that was the oldest in the NHL last season and is littered with question marks, particularly in goal and the forward group outside of Crosby, Malkin and Jake Guentzel.

    Two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry will become a free agent this summer and was beset by injuries over the second half of the season. Forward Jason Zucker, who served as the emotional sparkplug for long stretches, is also scheduled to hit the open market and may have priced himself out of town.

    Pittsburgh also has several aging players with full or partial no-movement clauses, including 38-year-old forward Jeff Carter, 30-year-old Bryan Rust and 35-year-old defenseman Jeff Petry.

    “I think that those are obviously very real situations, everyone knows that they exist,” Dubas said. “To me the effect on it … is what we can add in terms of depth pieces? What we can add in terms of younger players? That’ll be the real key.”

    Dubas does plan to hire a general manager to fill the vacancy created when Hextall was let go after a short but largely unfruitful tenure. Dubas will serve as the GM on an interim basis until early July.

    Dubas comes to Pittsburgh after nine seasons with the Maple Leafs, including the last five as general manager. Toronto won a postseason series for the first time since 2004 this spring before falling to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games.

    Shortly after the Maple Leafs’ playoff exit, Dubas said that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to remain in Toronto. His contract was set to expire on June 30, but team president Kyle Shanahan opted to pre-emptively fire Dubas instead. Toronto hired former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving as Dubas’ replacement.

    Dubas helped build the Maple Leafs into a regular-season power during his tenure. Toronto set single-season records for wins and points, and went 221-109-42 in his tenure. Dubas also didn’t shy away from big moves – he fired Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Babcock in November 2019 and replaced him with Sheldon Keefe – but struggled to find the right mix in the playoffs until this spring.

    In the end, advancing beyond the first round for the first time since 2004 wasn’t enough for Dubas to remain in Toronto.

    He joked he was maybe a little “too honest” during his season-ending press conference with the Maple Leafs when he expressed reservations about returning. Shanahan’s abrupt decision to move on came as a bit of a surprise, and Dubas planned to take some time to hit the reset button before looking for another job.

    Yet the Penguins – who’d already been given clearance by the Maple Leafs to interview Dubas – provided a compelling reason to speed up the timetable. Dubas’ due diligence included speaking to Crosby and longtime coach Mike Sullivan to take the pulse of a leadership group that remains firmly in place.

    Dubas called them “some of the best competitors” in hockey. Competitors that have – for one reason or another – been unable to recapture the magic of their runs to back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017.

    Time is running out for Crosby to put his name on the Cup for a fourth time in a career that will almost certainly end in the Hall of Fame. Dubas knows he’ll be judged in part on whether he can make that happen. After taking more than six weeks of searching before landing on Dubas, Fenway Sports Group Chairman Tom Werner believes Dubas is up to the challenge.

    “Our philosophy is giving Kyle and his associates the best possible resources to win,” Werner said. “Kyle’s been very articulate today about his path to success … we’re very confident that Kyle will execute the plan he’s articulated to us.”

    Seattle Kraken sign GM Ron Francis to 3-year extension through 2026-27 season

    Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:55 AM EDT
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    SEATTLE — Ron Francis was initially approached about extending his stay as the general manager of the Seattle Kraken back in the winter, but putting finality to the decision took longer than expected.

    The Kraken kept winning and pushed what was mostly a formality to a secondary need until after Seattle’s unexpected playoff run finally ended.

    “At that point it was kind of verbally done, just kind of a few little small details. And then we get into the playoffs and busy and it kind of got put on the back burner and I didn’t want it to be a distraction with the team and where they were at,” Francis said.

    That finality came when the Kraken announced Francis had signed a three-year extension through the 2026-27 season. Francis originally signed a five-year deal when he became the first GM in franchise history back in 2019 and the new contract will kick in starting with the 2024-25 season.

    “I’ll never forget the day that he said, ‘Yes, I’m ready to do this,’” Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said. “But today is another great day for our fans because not only did he come and build, he is going to stay here and continue to build this franchise.”

    Seattle reached the second round of the NHL playoffs in its second year of existence, following a challenging first year where it underachieved and was among the worst teams in the league.

    But Francis navigated through that difficult first season and helped land the pieces that turned Seattle into a playoff team in the second year without mortgaging future opportunities or putting the Kraken into challenging salary cap situations.

    “He has been the leader that’s gotten us to where we are today. And he is the leader to take us to the next level,” Seattle co-owner Samantha Holloway said.

    Seattle is the second stop for Francis as an executive after spending seven seasons in the front office of the Carolina Hurricanes. Francis started as director of hockey operations before becoming the general manager in 2014. Francis was let go by the Hurricanes after the 2018 season.

    Seattle jumped at the chance to bring the Hall of Fame player in to lead the front office. Seattle’s expansion season was a major underachievement with the Kraken going 27-49-6 and finishing last in the Pacific Division with 60 points. But Francis was able to move veteran players to stockpile draft picks and left enough salary cap room to make some key moves entering the second season.

    Seattle signed free agent forward Andre Burakovksy, traded for winger Oliver Bjorkstrand and inserted rookie Matty Beniers into the lineup on Seattle’s top line from the first day of the season. The results on the ice couldn’t be argued. Seattle went 46-28-8 and reached 100 points, knocked off defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Dallas in seven games in the conference semifinals.

    “It’s been a real team effort. I’m sitting up here today and they’re saying good things about me, but it’s a much bigger picture than just me,” Francis said. “I’m excited to be here for a few more years and hopefully everybody’s opinion doesn’t change, but we’re going to stick to the plan and continue building it the right way so we can be a great franchise for multiple years.”

    Francis also stuck with coach Dave Hakstol after that difficult first season. He may be the next in line for a contract extension from the team after a season where he was recognized as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for top coach in the league.

    Maple Leafs hire Brad Treliving as team’s new general manager

    Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT
    Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
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    TORONTO — Brad Treliving has a new job.

    And the Maple Leafs have a new plan.

    Treliving was hired as Toronto’s general manager less than two weeks after firing Kyle Dubas.

    The 53-year-old Treliving left the Calgary Flames in April following nine seasons that included five playoff appearances and two 100-point seasons.

    “Brad brings a wealth of knowledge from his years of experience as a general manager and hockey executive in Calgary, Arizona and beyond,” Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said in a statement. “He has earned tremendous respect amongst his peers throughout his years in the NHL and has built excellent relationships at all levels within the game.”

    Treliving joins the Leafs at a crucial juncture in the wake of Shanahan’s stunning dismissal of Dubas on May 19.

    The Original Six franchise, whose Stanley Cup drought stands at 56 years, won a playoff series for the first time in nearly two decades with a victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning this spring, but then lost to the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers in five games.

    Dubas, who had been Toronto’s GM since 2018 and didn’t have a contract beyond June 30, suggested at an end of season news conference May 15 he wasn’t sure he wanted to remain in the role – at least in part because of the stress on his young family.

    A roller coaster five days followed, with Shanahan ultimately firing the 37-year-old Dubas despite previously wanting to keep his GM, and the now-unemployed executive eventually indicating to his boss he wished to stay.

    Treliving is the third GM – joining Dubas and Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello – hired in Toronto by Shanahan, whose so-called “Shanaplan” aimed at getting the storied franchise back on its feet when he came on board in 2014 has seen unparalleled regular-season success, but just that one series victory in eight attempts.

    “I’m thrilled to join an Original Six team and recognize how much the Maple Leafs mean to this community,” Treliving said. “This is a very exciting day for my family and I.”

    Treliving has a lot to deal with as he settles into his new office at Scotiabank Arena.

    Treliving, who served in the Phoenix Coyotes’ front office for seven seasons before arriving in Calgary, will have to decide the future of head coach Sheldon Keefe, while stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander can sign contract extensions as of July 1.

    Matthews and Mitch Marner have full no-movement clauses ready to kick in the same day. Nylander will have a 10-team list.

    The NHL draft is also set for the end of June in Nashville, Tennessee, while the Leafs have 12 roster players primed to hit free agency at noon EDT on July 1.

    The Flames, who missed the playoffs this season, won the Pacific Division in 2021-22 under Treliving before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.

    Johnny Gaudreau then stunned the organization by leaving Calgary for the Columbus Blue Jackets in free agency last summer. Fellow star forward Matthew Tkachuk added another wrinkle by informing the team he didn’t plan to re-sign.

    Treliving subsequently dealt the winger to Florida as part of a package that included forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar heading to southern Alberta.

    Huberdeau then signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension with the Flames that kicks in next season.

    Tkachuk, a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate as playoff MVP, and the Panthers open the Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

    Despite the departures of Gaudreau and Tkachuk, the Flames looked like contenders ahead of the 2022-23 season.

    The acquisition of Huberdeau and the signing of center Nazem Kadri was expected to fill the void left by Gaudreau and Tkachuk, but the mix wasn’t right for a group led by hard-nosed coach Darryl Sutter.

    Huberdeau and Kadri finished well off their career-high points totals of the previous season – the former went from 115 with Florida to 55 in Calgary – while subpar goaltending was an issue much of the season.

    Treliving now turns his attention to Toronto.

    Just like last summer, he has lots of work to do.

    Nashville Predators hire Andrew Brunette after firing John Hynes

    Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 10:54 AM EDT
    Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
    3 Comments

    NASHVILLE, Tenn.– The coaching shuffle in Nashville is complete, with Andrew Brunette officially hired as the Predators coach a little over 12 hours after the team announced that John Hynes was fired.

    The moves are the first being made by incoming general manager Barry Trotz and come about six weeks after the Predators missed the playoffs.

    The 49-year-old Brunette spent the past season as a New Jersey Devils associate coach under Lindy Ruff and has previous head-coaching experience.

    He was promoted to interim coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season and oversaw a team that set franchise records for wins (58) and points (122) in claiming the Presidents’ Trophy before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Brunette finished second in the Jack Adams Award voting for the NHL’s coach of the year.

    He becomes just the fourth coach in the history of a Predators franchise and returns to Nashville, where Brunette played for the Trotz-coached team during its inaugural season in 1998-99. Their relationship goes back to 1993-94, when Brunette played under Trotz, who was head coach of the Washington Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate in Portland, Maine.

    “I feel like this is coming full circle for my career – from pulling on the jersey for the first time 25 years ago to returning now to take care of some unfinished business,” Brunette said in a statement. “It has been awesome to see how this city and its fanbase have grown since I played here and I look forward to continuing the legacy and the culture behind the bench that Barry cultivated that inaugural season.”

    Trotz, meantime, has an eye on building on the Predators’ youth and offensively skilled players as he takes over as GM for David Poile, who is retiring at the end of June after 26 years overseeing the franchise.

    “We want to become more of an offensive team and Andrew specializes on that side of the ice – he lived it as a player, and he coaches it as a coach, Trotz said. “He is as good of an offensive teacher and power-play coach as there is in the game today. He will be great with our young players, and I know, because of his background as a player, he will connect well with our top, skilled players.”

    In Florida, Brunette coached a Panthers team that led the NHL with 337 goals and had the league’s fourth-best power-play unit.

    The Predators missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years, and the first under Hynes, who took over as coach during the 2019-20 season after Peter Laviolette was fired.

    Brunette, who is from Sudbury, Ontario, spent 16 seasons playing in the NHL, ending with a one-year stint with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011-12. He finished with 268 goals and 733 points in 1,110 career games split among six teams, including two separate stints in Minnesota. Brunette is one of 25 players selected in the seventh round or later to appear in more than 1,000 NHL games.

    Upon his retirement, Brunette spent seven seasons with the Wild in various off-ice roles, including assistant coach and assistant GM, before being hired by the Panthers as an assistant coach in 2019-2020.