To say the Nashville Predators‘ slow start to the season is confusing, after a summer filled with notable acquisitions, would be an understatement.
Just ask general manager Barry Trotz.
“Sometimes you can’t explain the unexplainable,” he said Thursday when asked by reporters about the Predators’ 9-17-6 start to the year.
While perplexing, the ultimate conclusion is that the Predators need to be better as all they have to show for a strong off-season so far is eighth place in the Central Division. Nashville has struggled to convert on their opportunities all season. Despite ranking 11th in total shots (943) they are last in points (187), assists (115) and goals-for per game (2.25).
And while it’s been disappointing, and puzzling according to Trotz, the team has no intentions of waving the white flag on the year. In fact, the plan is to keep adding.
“Don’t be surprised, if there’s the right piece, I’m going to add it,” the GM said less than 24 hours after swapping defencemen with the Canadiens, sending Alexandre Carrier to Montreal in exchange for Justin Barron. “I want to add, I want to make our team better.”
The move came less than a month after Trotz had already swung a pair of deals — flipping forward Philip Tomasino to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round pick and acquiring goalie Justus Annunen from the Colorado Avalanche.
Initially, some viewed the Predators’ activity as a signal that a rebuild was on the horizon. Trotz emphatically snuffed that notion.
“It’s not a rebuild,” the Preds general manager told The Athletic on Thursday. “I’m not in the business of not winning. I’m in the business of trying to win. We’re not selling off. We are resetting. We know where we are. It’s not where we thought we would be.”
Trotz also added that the moves made in-season aren’t about “peeling off guys, this is about building … (those trades) give us some flexibility with the salary camp,” per Predators team reporter Brooks Bratten.
It may be unclear if his decisions pay off and help turn around the Predators season, but according to the 62-year-old, that forward-thinking mentality is what you need in the NHL.
“You have to take your swings,” Trotz said when asked about how Nashville’s busy summer has yielded little dividends, per Bratten. “This league is really tough right now.”
While fans wait and see if the ship can be steered in the right direction, it’s clear they and the front office agree things aren’t heading that way currently.
“I didn’t come here to be where we are,” Trotz added. “I came here to win.”
The Predators return to action on Thursday, welcoming the Penguins to Nashville as they hope to win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly months.
