The Nashville Predators have virtually no chance at making the NHL playoffs this season, but that doesn’t mean general manager Barry Trotz wants the team to lose for a better draft pick.

“We’re playing some good teams down the stretch and I want us to play well,” Trotz said in a conversation with The Tennessean.

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Trotz, who is in his second year with the Predators, said he wants the team to continue preparing to win games down the stretch, citing the importance of building a winning culture.

“I’m a coach at heart,” Trotz said. “Our team has been built on good culture and good character. I would be disappointed if our players threw in the towel.”

The idea of “tanking” for a better draft pick is common in professional sports, though it’s less common in the NHL. With a lottery system for determining the top of the draft order, finishing in last place doesn’t guarantee the No. 1 pick.

Nashville (20-29-7, 47 points) is 30th in the overall standings ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers. According to Money Puck, with 26 games to play, the Predators have a 9.3% chance of earning the top pick, behind the Chicago Blackhawks (15.9%) and the San Jose Sharks (22.9%).

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According to the NHL’s draft lottery rules, the bottom 11 teams have a chance to earn the No. 1 overall pick, though the odds increase significantly for the bottom five teams. The bottom 12-16 teams can only move up a maximum of 10 spots and cannot earn the No. 1 overall pick.

“Of course, from a management or organizational standpoint, you want the best pick,” Trotz said. “Would I rather have the third pick versus the 10th pick? Yeah, absolutely. That’s just human nature.”

But Trotz, at least for now, thinks establishing a winning culture is more important than the potential high draft picks.

“I want players that want to win. I want players that are serial winners. So we should play that way. I’m not really worried about the score, I’m worried about how we play every night, how we compete, and how we are building something for next year.”

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After a summer where Trotz committed over $111 million to build a playoff contender, the Predators have struggled to win games this season. The problem is multi-faceted – they’ve struggled on offense, defense and with goaltending.

Now Trotz must figure out how to re-tool his roster less than one year after its construction.

“You get to a certain point in the season, most managers would say they want a top pick. But I’m a culture guy, right? I want the whole assessment of our team, our players, our staff to be included if they are committed to winning games.”

The Predators take on the Florida Panthers on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).

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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators: Barry Trotz on NHL draft, tanking, rest of season