MacFarland steps into Predators’ front office, pushes to escape ‘mushy middle’ and build contender

Before Chris MacFarland moved forward with his new duties and his task of turning around a franchise, he took a moment to look back.

The president of hockey operations/general manager of the Nashville Predators thanked his old boss, Joe Sakic, on Wednesday at his introductory news conference and his old team, the Colorado Avalanche, for giving him a chance.

Then, on to his next assignment: Building the Predators, a team that's missed the postseason in three of the past four seasons, into a perennial Cup contender, much like his old team.

Nashville just might be caught at the moment in the precarious spot MacFarland referred to as the "mushy middle" - a place that's not bad enough for a top draft pick but not quite elite enough to challenge for a title.

The answer that Predators chairman and majority owner Bill Haslam gave MacFarland, though, about their commitment to winning is precisely the reason MacFarland jumped at the chance to join the organization.

"Because it was going to take a hell of an opportunity and situation to get me to think about leaving Colorado," said MacFarland, who spent 11 seasons with the Avalanche, including the past four as the GM. "I said, 'Mr. Haslam, is the goal here to make the playoffs, make the wild card, feel good about that and high-five each other? Or is the goal here to build a team that can compete and try to bring a Stanley Cup to Broadway?'

"He didn't hesitate. The goal here is to try and win. That's really, quite honestly, all I needed to hear."

MacFarland steps into a role that belonged to Barry Trotz, who will take an advisory role with the organization after announcing earlier this season that he was retiring from the GM role.

The 56-year-old MacFarland was a hot commodity after helping assemble a team in Colorado that turned in the NHL's best record before being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. He's a finalist for general manager of the year.

So, how quick can he transform the Predators?

"It's a fair question," MacFarland said. "I'm going to need time to poke around under the hood here and to truly get a feel for that."

His immediate plan is to meet with his coaching staff, including head coach Andrew Brunette, and the scouts. The Predators have the No. 10 pick. And while all options remain on the table, MacFarland pointed out that when he was with the Avalanche the team used their 10th pick in 2015 on Mikko Rantanen.

"We all know how good he is," said MacFarland, who also dealt Rantanen to Carolina in January 2025 as part of a deal for Martin Necas, while Rantanen was later traded again to Dallas.

"You've just got to keep building good player upon good player and putting them in good situations."

MacFarland pumped the brakes on thoughts of acquiring a franchise forward.

"Those guys usually aren't traded, right?" said MacFarland, who was with Columbus before helping turn around the Avalanche and going on to win the Stanley Cup in 2022. "You usually have to go through some pain to get those guys in the draft and the acquisition cost on those types of guys in the marketplace is astronomical."

Although, a Nathan MacKinnon-type scorer would sure come in handy.

"We will leave no stone unturned," said MacFarland, who had Nashville players such as Filip Forsberg and Nicolas Hague in attendance Wednesday. "We will be ready that if there is an opportunity to strike from the outside, we'll have done the work. ... But those guys (a MacKinnon type) are hard to get and hard to acquire."

College Football Hall of Fame coach and Predators minority owner Nick Saban played a role in recruiting MacFarland to Nashville. Both Haslam and CEO Sean Henry praised Saban as a valuable part of the interview process.

"The way he evaluates things, it changes the entire interview process for us," Henry said. "There are times where we're looking at him saying, 'Oh I wish I asked that.' Or, 'I wish I saw it that way.' ... It was incredible."

The one thing MacFarland will need to get used to at the arena is the "Fang Fingers," a gesture by Predators faithful during games.

"When I came in here with the Avs or the Blue Jackets, that thing drove me nuts," MacFarland cracked. "Because it usually meant something bad might be happening with the likes of Shea Weber and P.K. Subban and some of those guys.

"No matter what the record is, we are going to do things first class and we are going to build something special incrementally - small step by small step. Sometimes that takes time."