General manager Barry Trotz feels good about what he’s seen so far from the Nashville Predators training camp. It’s his first since taking over for David Poile and figuring out what he wants this team to look like.
Over the course of the last 25 years, the Predators have looked different while developing into a revered town for professional hockey. Now that Trotz is back he’s asking his team to play a way they haven’t before.
“Now we’re asking them to play faster,” he said. “We’re trying to put the groundwork in place with Andrew [Brunette] and with those players who haven’t played that way. We’re trying to draft those players like [Tanner] Molendyk who we drafted this year. The kid can really skate, the kid has been exceptional in the rookie tournament, and he’s been exceptional in his game at the pro level. Those are the things that we’re adjusting to and building towards.”
It will take time but new head coach Andrew Brunette will offer a new look on the ice as he’s familiar with Trotz’s style from when he coached and wants to add his elements to it.
To the new GM’s expectations the players he met with and challenged this offseason have done exactly what’s been promised, however, the puck drop for the regular season isn’t until Oct. 10 in Tampa Bay.
“I would say that some of the younger players I challenged for them to be a little quicker to take a spot, not wait for a spot, but go take it,” Trotz said. “There’s a couple of guys that have. There’s a couple of guys I’ve challenged to take a spot and they quite haven’t but I see them inching that way.”
Forward Luke Evangelista is a skater who to Trotz’s standard, is someone who has performed extremely well.
Trotz said he had a conversation with some of the younger skaters on the team like Evangelista and Tommy Novak. They have good futures ahead of them in the NHL.
“I want to try and keep you off the team, I want to put enough in front of you so that you can grow and then go take it from someone,” Trotz said.
Roman Josi chatting with GM Barry Trotz. Image courtesy of John Russell / Nashville Predators
Additionally, a bright prospect on the team with 107 games of NHL experience is forward Philip Tomasino who played in 31 games last season after seeing more time in the American Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Fedor Svechkov is an added face to training camp this time around too after he was taken 19th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. He’s a right-handed centerman who played in Russia’s top professional league (KHL) for the last two years.
“He has gotten better and better basically daily which is really really encouraging,” Trotz said of Svechkov.
In terms of who Trotz may be more on the fence about is forward Zachary L’Heureux as he’s been watching the last few weeks from the Bellevue Ford Ice Center observation windows. The Montreal native played the last four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League picking up a reputation that found him playing gritty and capable of being a playmaker.
“He started off very physical in the rookie showcase,” Trotz said. “We moved him up to a little more of a skill line and he didn’t quite play as well but he wasn’t skating the way he knew he could. Sometimes guys going through training camp I didn’t realize Zach had been injured as much as he had been early in the season like last year’s training camp.”
Speaking of training camp Trotz said he saw a “very united” group this year. The leadership corps has the proper traits to keep the new vision flowing as Trotz and Brunette establish their long-term plan for the organization on the ice.
“I love the fact that Filip Forsberg has looked fantastic at training camp,” Trotz said. “It looks like he’s really enjoying the game and if Fil is enjoying the game and he’s healthy again I think there’s a big piece of the offense that you were missing last season.”
Now, for the right steps to take place the recipe Trotz calls for is how his players respond during the various trials throughout the 82-game season.
“Through the hard times are they sticking together? Are the young guys getting better? Are they playing faster? Not looking at the score, just the process of playing,” Trotz said. “Then that plan will work. This year and next year we’ll have to be patient, I don’t think we’re really in a big rebuild.”
Some of the things Trotz will need to see out on the ice this season as he evaluates if he has the right personnel long-term. One example is Novak who scored 43 points in 51 games last season.
“Can Tommy Novak score and do what he did at the same rate as he did last year? Analytics is saying no,” Trotz said. “But maybe at the same time, he’s growing and he’s going to prove that wrong. Is a Tomasino going to get back to the area and produce at the level that he’s capable of doing? I think he is.”
The fruit of Trotz’s labor has yet to be seen and it appears the greatest virtue for the organization and its fans is calling for patience.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
For the full interview with Predators GM Barry Trotz click here
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