Predators Fire John Hynes & Dan Lambert

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John Hynes. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

After months of speculation, Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz has made the decision to fire John Hynes as Head Coach and Dan Lambert as Assistant Coach. The news was first reported by NHL insider Kevin Weekes.

The Preds confirmed the firing of Hynes and Lambert in a press release.

“John Hynes is a good man and a good hockey coach,” Trotz says. “He did an outstanding job after the trade deadline with our team, especially with our young players, and he is a well-prepared, hard-working coach who will continue to grow in the NHL. After our year-end meetings and some additional evaluation, it was time to change the voice and time to go in a different direction. On behalf of all of us at the Predators, we’d like to thank John for all his work here and wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”

Hynes went 134-96-18 in 248 regular-season games as Head Coach of the Predators from 2020-2023, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times during his tenure. He reached the 40-win and 90-point mark in both of his full, 82-game seasons with the Predators, finished ninth in Jack Adams Award voting in 2021-2022 and owns the second-highest point percentage (.577) by a head coach in franchise history.

“I’d like to thank John, Dan and their families for all they did for the Predators and our community,” says Predators President & CEO Sean Henry. “We appreciate all their work during their respective tenures with us, helping our team push through so many difficulties that hit us all in 2020 – from the tornadoes to the pandemic and the Christmas morning explosion, they always had our team ready to serve the community. John and Dan also guided us to three playoff appearances and additionally ensured our team represented Smashville well in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series and in Bern and Prague in the 2023 NHL Global Series. We will always be grateful for their contributions.”

The Predators have not named a successor but are set to hire former Predator Andrew Brunette according to all the reports on social media. Brunette scored the first goal in Preds history. In the 2021-2022 season, he led the Florida Panthers to first place in the Eastern Conference, and took an assistant position with the New Jersey Devils this past season.

Steven Boero
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