Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz placed the bulk of the team's struggles on the players, stating he needs more from them as the team sits last in the NHL standings. The Predators (6-11-4) host the Florida Panthers (11-9-1) on Monday at Bridgestone Arena. Trotz affirmed coach Andrew Brunette's job is safe amid the team's poor performance.
The Nashville Predators enter their game against the Florida Panthers on November 24, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET, mired in a challenging season. With a record of 6-11-4 and 16 points, they rank last in the NHL, finishing 30th last season at 30-44-8. The team is last in goals per game at 2.29 and 27th in goals against at 3.48.
GM Barry Trotz emphasized player accountability in comments to The Tennessean, saying, “I need more [expletive] from them.” He added, “I'm watching the game systematically. 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.” Trotz believes firing the coach would let players off the hook, noting, “Over the next few weeks across the League, someone's getting fired... And what you're going to hear out of every [expletive] player is, 'Oh man, we just underperformed, he was a really good coach, we've just got to be better.'”
In 2023-24, under Brunette in his third season, the Predators made the playoffs as the first wild card (47-30-5) but lost to the Vancouver Canucks in six games. Trotz referenced a past motivational tactic, canceling a U2 concert trip that sparked an 18-game point streak.
Key offseason signings Steven Stamkos (four years, $8 million AAV) and Jonathan Marchessault (five years, $5.5 million AAV) have each scored four goals this season. Trotz urged players to get “greasier” and position themselves in front of the net, while acknowledging roster construction issues: “The roster is not perfect. Some of that is, a little bit, the roster construction. I'll take responsibility.”
Projected Lineups
Panthers:
- Forwards: Mackie Samoskevich — Anton Lundell — Brad Marchand; Jesper Boqvist — Evan Rodrigues — Sam Reinhart; Carter Verhaeghe — Sam Bennett — A.J. Greer; Noah Gregor — Luke Kunin — Jack Devine
- Defense: Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad; Niko Mikkola — Seth Jones; Uvis Balinskis — Jeff Petry
- Goalies: Daniil Tarasov, Sergei Bobrovsky
- Scratched: Donovan Sebrango
- Injured: Aleksander Barkov (knee), Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), Tomas Nosek (knee), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body), Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder), Eetu Luostarinen (lower body), Cole Schwindt (broken arm)
- Status: Aaron Ekblad skated after missing the prior game due to an upper-body injury.
Predators:
- Forwards: Filip Forsberg — Ryan O’Reilly — Luke Evangelista; Steven Stamkos — Erik Haula — Matthew Wood; Michael Bunting — Michael McCarron — Jonathan Marchessault; Tyson Jost — Fedor Svechkov — Ozzy Wiesblatt
- Defense: Nicolas Hague — Roman Josi; Brady Skjei — Nick Perbix; Spencer Stastney — Nick Blankenburg
- Goalies: Juuse Saros, Justus Annunen
- Scratched: Adam Wilsby, Justin Barron
- Injured: Cole Smith (lower body)
- Status: Roman Josi pairs with Hague for the second straight game after missing 12 due to an upper-body injury.