Predators GM Makes Flurry of Signings to Foster ‘Culture of Winning’
When Barry Trotz was introduced as David Poile’s successor as General Manager of the Nashville Predators back in February, he made it clear that he wanted to accomplish a few things – namely, he wanted to add skill and speed to the roster, and he wanted to establish a winning culture.
Fittingly, Trotz’s first official day on the job was July 1, which was also the first day of NHL free agency – and with a flurry of moves, he showed that he is a man of his word. After a busy day – at the end of a busy week – Trotz addressed the team’s newest free-agent signings and other roster moves on Saturday. In his words, here is an overview of “what we did and why we did it:”
REIMAGINING THE CORE
Tough Decisions
Every team has its core players. In Trotz’s mind, those players for the Preds are Roman Josi on the blueline, Filip Forsberg on the wing and Juuse Saros between the pipes. Beyond those three, Trotz felt that a “tweak” to the veteran presence and mentality was necessary to establish a winning culture. The result? A trade for Ryan Johansen and a contract buyout for Matt Duchene.
Trotz called the moves a “continuation of an organizational process that started at the trade deadline – our desire to change the roster, allowing our emerging players the chance to grow and develop, while also creating the flexibility to build a team that will become a Stanley Cup contender.”
“The harsh reality is that we moved two very good players out,” Trotz said. “Both of them have been high contributors to the Preds organization, not only on the ice, but off the ice… They’re good, good, good people,” Trotz said. “In the change that we did make, we wanted to fill [the void] with more good people.”
O’Reilly: ‘A Serial Winner’
One of those “good people” is veteran forward Ryan O’Reilly, whom the Preds signed to a four-year, $18 million contract on Saturday. O’Reilly won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with St. Louis in 2019 and has collected numerous other accolades during his 14-year NHL career, including the Selke Trophy (2019), Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2014) and three trips to the NHL All-Star Game.
“Ryan O’Reilly’s a serial winner, a Stanley Cup champion, a Selke winner,” Trotz said. “He’s been MVP in the playoffs. I’ve worked with Ryan at international events like the World Cup of Hockey. He’s been on Olympic teams. He reminds me of a Joe Pavelski-type of guy that continues to produce. People follow him, and everybody around him is better. And for our young guys and our culture, that was a critical piece for us.”
This past season, the 32-year-old recorded 30 points (16g-14a) in 53 games with St. Louis and Toronto and added nine points (3g-6a) in 11 postseason appearances, helping lead the Maple Leafs to a first-round victory over Tampa Bay. After he was traded from St. Louis, he produced at nearly a point-per-game rate, owning four goals and seven assists in 13 regular season appearances for the Maple Leafs.
“He has an effect on the offensive zone. He has an effect in the defensive zone. He has an effect in the faceoff circle. He has an effect in late-game situations, offensively and defensively. People do the things that are not always easy to do to win, and he does that all over the ice.”
O’Reilly may not be known for his foot speed, but he has a different kind of speed that piques Trotz’s interest.
“When there’s a race for a puck, he’s quick, and you’ll see that he gets the puck,” Trotz said. “He finds ways. You play fast with your mind, more so than with your legs. I’ve had a lot of players that are really, really fast but don’t really play a fast game.”
Ultimately, O’Reilly’s most valuable asset is his winning mentality – an asset that Trotz has identified as pivotal in building a team culture.
“There’s a reason that he’s been on Olympic teams,” Trotz said. “There’s a reason that this guy’s done a lot in his career. So he’s going to continue to do that and what I’m really excited is about is that he’s a guy that can really leave a mark on an organization in a positive way… Ryan O’Reilly is the first guy at the rink every morning. He’s the last guy off the ice. He loves the game. You want guys who love to compete and love the game, and we’ve got a bunch up here.”
Schenn ‘Gets It’
Trotz also made a key addition on the blueline in signing two-time Stanley Cup champion Luke Schenn to a three-year, $8.25 million contract. Trotz said he was particularly impressed with Schenn’s play in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Trotz was coaching the New York Islanders.
“I thought [the Islanders] were starting to take the series over in the bubble,” Trotz said. “We were the [more] physical team. We were the team that had that identity where we were getting under Tampa’s skin. We were pushing some of the key guys out of the series and getting momentum, and Luke was a guy that recognized that and, to me, changed the whole series. He came over and established a presence. He has a great way to identify those moments.”
Schenn is a highly physical player who has experience playing with high-end defensemen, from Quinn Hughes to Morgan Rielly. This, Trotz believes, should help him fit in seamlessly on the Predators blueline.
“We have one of the greatest defensemen in the National Hockey League right now in Roman Josi,” Trotz said. “I don’t like sometimes when Roman takes some big hits. Luke will make sure that those big hits won’t be coming too often.”
Still, much like with O’Reilly, the signing of Schenn all comes down to the culture. Trotz is confident that Schenn will be an excellent fit for the organization both on and off the ice.
“If you meet Luke as a human, you’ll find out that this is a guy that gets it culturally,” Trotz said. “He gets it as a teammate. He gets it as a person in the community.”
Nyquist Adds Experience on the Wing
Rounding out the key veteran signings on day one of free agency is Gustav Nyquist, whom the Preds inked to a two-year, $6.37 million deal.
The 33-year-old recorded 27 points (11g-16a) in 51 games split between Columbus and Minnesota in 2022-23, then added five assists in six postseason games for the Wild. A veteran of 703 NHL games with Detroit, San Jose, Columbus and Minnesota, Nyquist has amassed 428 points (175g-253a) in his career.
“This guy’s a good player, and a really good teammate,” Trotz said. “He’s had great success, and Gus will be a really good complement to a guy like [Cody Glass] who needs a winger who’s a little more experienced and can help him continue to grow. So I think that’s going to be a really good fit.”
SPEAKING OF CODY GLASS…
A Year of Growth
Glass, who was a restricted free agent, will return to the Predators on a two-year, $5 million deal. He spent his first full season at the NHL level with Nashville in 2022-23, amassing 35 points (14g-21a) in 72 games, all career highs. After opening the season with three points (1g-2a) in his first 16 appearances (Oct. 7-Dec. 12), he recorded 32 points (13g-19a) in his final 56 games, the fourth-most points on the Predators in that time span. Glass was also second on the Predators in power-play goals with six, a career high.
“You saw the growth in Cody when he got to play at the end of the year,” Trotz said. “He struggled early in the year, made the team and had some difficulty staying in the lineup. Then, obviously with all the injuries at the end of the year, when he had a long opportunity to play, we felt he had really good growth.”
By the end of the season, Glass was a mainstay in the Predators’ top-six. Following the NHL campaign, Glass suited up for Team Canada at the 2023 World Championship, where he posted four assists in 10 games en route to the gold medal.
“He probably was a little bit of a broken player, if you will, lacking a little confidence,” Trotz said of Glass when he first arrived in Nashville via trade in 2021. “And then, his confidence started to grow. His game started to grow. Physically, he’s getting stronger. He had some big moments this year… Those are growth moments. Then, at the end of the year, he got the call from Team Canada, went over to the world championships and won a gold medal. Those are those growth points that you want – for a player to play meaningful games and have an impact – and he started doing that with us at the end of the season.”
A Bounce-Back Opportunity
Alexandre Carrier, the only other RFA to receive a qualifying offer from the Predators, also signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract. Carrier recorded nine points (2g-7a) in 43 games for the Preds in 2022-23, but was sidelined for nearly half the season due to injuries.
In 2021-22, his first full NHL campaign, Carrier became the first Predators player at his position to be named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team following a 30-point (3g-27a) season. He led NHL rookie defensemen in plus-minus (+26) and was third in assists, points and average TOI (20:59); he posted the most assists and points by a rookie blueliner in franchise history. He has also recorded five assists and 23:43 of average ice time in 10 career Stanley Cup Playoff games with Nashville.
“You’re not going to find a better person, better teammate and a really good competitive defenseman,” Trotz said. “I’m hoping that he can have a healthy year… Last year he struggled a little bit and part of that was the injury, so we’re hoping he’ll have a real good bounce back.”
ADDING SOME DEPTH
Trotz also locked up some key “culture” guys for the Predators AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, signing Troy Grosenick and Anthony Angello.
Grosenick, a 33-year-old netminder returns to the Predators organization on a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 at the NHL level after spending parts of three seasons with Milwaukee from 2017-20, posting a 47-27-9 record in 86 games. In 2019-20, Grosenick finished sixth in the AHL in wins (20), eighth in save percentage (.920) and ninth in goals-against average (2.29) as he and Connor Ingram won the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, given to the goaltenders on the team with the fewest goals-against per game during the regular season, helping lead Milwaukee to the league’s best record. That same season, he was honored for his work in the Milwaukee community by being named the AHL’s Man of the Year.
“We’ve got a goaltender to mentor [Yaroslav Askarov] down in Milwaukee in Grosenick,” Trotz said. “We have a really good relationship. He’s from that Milwaukee area, so that should be a real good fit for our goaltending.”
Trotz also signed forward Anthony Angello to a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 at the NHL level. Angello spent the final 17 games of his 2022-23 regular season with Milwaukee (AHL) after being acquired from St. Louis in March, posting seven goals and 12 points. He went on to record three points (1g-2a) in 16 Calder Cup Playoff games, helping the Admirals reach the Western Conference Final.
“Angello was really impressive down the stretch in Milwaukee. He plays the wing; he plays center. He’s been really good with our young guys. I thought last year he had a really good playoffs. Every time one of the young guys – be it [Luke Evangelista] or [Philip Tomasino] – were struggling, they put him with one of those kids who were struggling and they seemed to pop again. So that’s a good quality… We continue to add the good people that help other people get better.”
LETTING THE KIDS PLAY?
The Milwaukee roster is stacked with young talent, as evidenced by the influx of youth who kept the Predators competitive for a playoff spot during the second half of the 2022-23 season. But while the future may be bright in Nashville, Trotz is wary of bringing all the youth up to the NHL at the same time. Luke Evangelista, Philip Tomasino and company had a strong half-season last year, but they have yet to play a full, 82-game schedule at the NHL level.
“We’ve had three really good drafts,” Trotz said. “They come in at 18, start going to Milwaukee at 20, then they’re ready to pop in at 20 to 23 and be a contributing player. So we’re rolling through that and we’ve got a really good rhythm for that and the cadence.”
Development doesn’t happen overnight for these young players, but they are certainly part of Trotz’s long-term vision for the team. In the meantime, the Predators new-look veteran core will serve as a steadying force.
“We’ve got to add some more speed and skill to our lineup,” Trotz said. “There’s no question. It’s something I said I want to continue to do, and get younger. Now, we have all those pillars that can stabilize it. Now, you can start putting in the speed, the skill and it’s going to be progressive… We will continue to evolve, and with [Head Coach Andrew Brunette] at the helm, we’ll play a little different style. With the group that we have leading us, we’ll have a little different mindset.”
THE BOTTOM LINE
Trotz wants to win, and this flurry of free-agent signings is a step toward that goal.
“My intention is to make this team real good for a long time,” Trotz said. “I don’t want you to come to Nashville to retire. I want you to come here to win. And that was really important to me and these guys that we all have, they just want to win and they’ve got rings to prove it.”
Signing impactful veterans in free agency does not signal a departure from Nashville’s commitment to its rising stars; rather, it’s part of the plan to help those rising stars reach their full potential.
“I look for players to support our young guys, to teach them the right way to build a culture of winning, year in and year out,” Trotz said. “That’s my goal… If I can improve our hockey team somehow, I want to do that. If I can improve the efficiency of how we do things as an organization, I want to do that. I’m looking for things that make us better, make us stand out.”
Trotz doesn’t just want to make the playoffs; he wants to win a Stanley Cup. Who better to help the Predators achieve that goal than veterans who have done it before?
“This is a hard league,” Trotz said. “It humbles you. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it turns on you. So [it’s good to have] some people who’ve had experience, some people who have gone through it and gone the distance. There’s a lot of valleys and a lot of peaks that you go through in a season; these guys have done that many times, and I think they will straighten the ship out a little bit and get back on course all the time. And that’s really important for the growth of young guys… I want to get the mindset, the culture, in place.”
