After a lengthy search for a new general manager, they have finally made their decision. A new Nashville Predators era begins as they have hired Chris MacFarland as the president of hockey operations and general manager. MacFarland was the GM of the Colorado Avalanche, but after talks with Predators owner Bill Haslam on Monday night, a decision was quickly made on Tuesday morning.
Credit Image: © Walter G. Arce Sr./ASP via ZUMA Press Wire
Welcome to Smashville, Chris! 👋
We're proud to announce that Chris MacFarland has been hired as our President of Hockey Operations and General Manager.
Full details » https://t.co/gYk9a8jGPS pic.twitter.com/mqnI8DwVzm
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) June 2, 2026
New Nashville Predators Era Ushered In As MacFarland Enters
With MacFarland assuming the new role, that means that Barry Trotz will officially be retiring from his GM role and will become an advisor in the organization, following his announcement in February that he would step down once a successor was in place. “I am pleased to welcome ‘C-Mac’ to the Predators organization, and I pledge to help him fulfill his vision in any way that I can for the next year,” Trotz said in a press release.
“We could not be more pleased that Chris has elected to join the Predators organization and lead our hockey operations group,” Haslam said. “We conducted an exhaustive search and were able to meet with several very qualified and impressive candidates, but all along, we were hopeful to interview Chris. He turned out to be a perfect fit for us, just what we were looking for to lead our organization moving forward.”
MacFarland was a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award on May 12 for the first time in his career after leading the Colorado Avalanche to an amazing regular season where they went 55-16-11 for 121 points, winning the Presidents’ Trophy. As a GM, MacFarland was rather aggressive on the trade market, making blockbuster trades, including one that sent Mikko Rantanen to Carolina in exchange for Martin Necas and Jack Drury. He also revamped a struggling goaltending tandem into one of the best tandems in the NHL, with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, both of whom won the William M. Jennings Trophy this season.
MacFarland joined the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the 1999-2000 season and became director of hockey operations in 2001 until 2007. He spent 16 seasons with the organization, including eight as assistant general manager. He pivoted to the Avalanche in 2015 as an assistant general manager and was part of the championship group in 2022. He was promoted to GM in July of 2022, right after the Stanley Cup win, as Joe Sakic moved to president of hockey operations. MacFarland will have more autonomy than he did in his role with Colorado, as he will operate with no one above him in the organization except for the owner.
Joe Sakic Returns in General Manager Role for the Avalanche
“We would like to thank Chris for all he did for the Avalanche organization. Chris was instrumental in our success over the last decade and a key part of our 2022 Stanley Cup championship. This was an opportunity for him to take on a bigger role with the Predators while being closer to his family. We wish him and his family all the best in Nashville,” said Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke in a press release.
With MacFarland’s departure, President Joe Sakic will assume the GM role once again. “Joe Sakic will resume the general manager duties for the foreseeable future, including through this month’s draft and the start of the league year. In Joe’s previous stint as GM, he helped build the current roster and led us to the 2022 Stanley Cup. We are confident in Joe’s leadership and that we will continue to build upon our recent success as we seek to bring another Cup back to Colorado,” said Kroenke.
Sakic will be available to the media next week, with details being announced on Monday.
Main Photo Credit: Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
