WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

02/02 12:54 CST Barry Trotz is retiring as Predators general manager once a successor is found Barry Trotz is retiring as Predators general manager once a successor is found By TERESA M. WALKER and STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writers NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --- Barry Trotz is retiring as general manager of the Nashville Predators after just under three years on the job but will stay on through the March 6 NHL trade deadline and until a successor is found, playing a role in that process. Trotz, 63, said Monday he informed majority owner Bill Haslam in December that he intended to step away when his contract expired at the end of the 2026-27 season. The decision is not health-related, and Trotz is expected to remain with the organization as an adviser through that time. "After some discussion, we elected to begin a search for my replacement now, but I am happy to work in my current role until we make a new hire, however long that might be," Trotz said. Haslam aims to have a new GM in place by the draft in late June. He downplayed any disagreement between ownership and Trotz that led to this plan. "This is about Barry making a life decision and then us together," Haslam said at a news conference announcing the change. "This has nothing to do with any disagreement with Barry or a reflection of where we are or are not as a team." Coach Andrew Brunette told reporters he learned Monday morning that Trotz was stepping down. "I guessed I was as surprised as everybody else," Brunette said. "Wasn't expecting that today." Trotz took over control of hockey operations from longtime GM David Poile in the summer of 2023. The Predators made the playoffs the following season after Trotz fired coach John Hynes and hired Brunette to replace him. After spending $100 million in free agency to sign Stanley Cup champions Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei on July 1, 2024, set expectations high, they were one of the league's biggest disappointments with 52 losses in 82 games and nowhere close to playoff contention. "Our goal is to build an organization to win a Stanley Cup and not just make the playoffs," Trotz said. "That's been my goal since being here." Nashville is in the mix past the midway point of this season but appears to be an organization at a crossroads since Haslam became majority owner last summer. Stamkos still has two years left beyond this one on his contract at a salary cap hit of $8 million, Skjei four more at $7 million and Marchessault three more at $5.5 million. They and center Ryan O'Reilly are all in their 30s and could be potential trade chips ahead of the deadline or in the offseason. Whoever follows Trotz could have some big decisions to make on those players and others, pending how he approaches buying, selling or standing pat, along with Brunette and his staff. The core of franchise goaltender Juuse Saros, captain Roman Josi and top forward Filip Forsberg is signed for the foreseeable future, providing a foundation that could win again sooner than later with the right moves around them. Trotz's second act with the Predators was much shorter than his first, when he coached them from their inception in 1998 through 2014, bringing respectability and relevancy to an expansion team playing in a so-called nontraditional market. He moved on to Washington and was behind the bench when the Capitals won the Cup in 2018 and spent four seasons coaching the New York Islanders before returning to Nashville. "At a time when many were questioning Sun Belt expansion, Barry, together with David Poile, established the Nashville Predators as a model NHL franchise," Predators CEO Sean Henry said. "More recently, Barry has spent nearly three years working tirelessly as our general manager to position the Predators for several years of success, ensuring the organization has all the necessary tools in place to build a long-term winner in today's NHL, placing an emphasis on the welfare of every player in our system." ___ Whyno reported from New York. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl