Trotz backs Brunette, says 'I need more' from Predators players
Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz is challenging his players to climb out of the NHL's basement on their own, without the spark of a coaching change.
"I need more f---ing from them," Trotz said of his players, according to The Tennessean's Alex Daugherty. "I need more."
The Predators sit last in the entire league and have just one regulation win in their last 12 games. Trotz doesn't believe the blame should fall on head coach Andrew Brunette though.
"I'm watching the game systematically," Trotz said. "I know who makes mistakes. When the puck is on someone's stick and they pass it right to (the other team), that's not (Brunette's) fault."
The team's offense, which ranks last in the NHL with 2.29 goals per game, has particularly flummoxed Trotz.
"The confusing thing, the frustrating thing for everyone, is that we just don't score," he said. "You look at the names on our roster, we should score more. Because we have (Filip) Forsberg, (Steven) Stamkos, (Jonathan) Marchessault, we all think we're going to score."
Forsberg leads the team with eight goals and 15 points in 21 games. Stamkos has five points, while Marchessault has six.
The Predators aren't much better defensively, though, ranking 27th in goals against per game. The statistics follow an eerily similar trend from last season, when they owned the NHL's 31st-ranked offense and 27th-ranked defense en route to a seventh-place finish in the Central Division.
Nashville made a surprise playoff appearance in 2023-24, going 20-5-3 down the stretch after Trotz infamously canceled a team outing to a U2 concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas as a wake-up call.
"What did I do a couple years ago when they weren't playing well? What did I do?" Trotz asked, then answered: "I said you're not f---ing going to see f---ing U2. Then, it became a little of the 'F-U' tour, instead of U2. It got them to say, screw you."
Whether Trotz has a similar motivational tactic up his sleeve this season remains to be seen.