The Nashville Predators are off to a rough start this season. With a 6-9-4 record, they sit at the bottom of the Central Division and 31st overall in the league standings.

They did manage to snap a five-game losing streak with a 2–1 overtime win against the Penguins on Friday. But one win hasn’t quieted the concerns. With their early struggles, rumors have begun to swirl that the Predators may shake up their coaching staff to get the team back on track.

Who Is Rumored to Be the Next Head Coach of the Nashville Predators?

Current head coach Andrew Brunette hasn’t been able to deliver the strong start the Predators expected. With this being the time of year when teams start making significant changes, coaching rumors are intensifying. Last season, for example, the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery on November 19, proof that mid-season coaching moves can happen quickly.

On the “DMase Vingan & Daunic” podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed the situation in Nashville and mentioned one name that has emerged as an early favorite for the job: “The name you’ll hear a lot is David Carle; that is a guy that they would call but you would definitely not get him during the season.”

David Carle, head coach of the University of Denver, is considered a top NHL coaching prospect. He has already won four championships in four years. It included two NCAA titles and two World Junior gold medals with the USA team.

Meanwhile, Andrew Brunette has one more year remaining on his contract. It runs through next season, includes a team option for the year after.

NHL insider David Pagnotta also believes a coaching change in Nashville is a real possibility. Speaking on Daily Faceoff LIVE, he said, “It’s really Nashville, because of the expectations that are there.”

Pagnotta noted that no team seems eager to make a coaching change at the moment, as these decisions are complex and involve a significant amount of behind-the-scenes work. “If Nashville really starts to flounder here, you can’t trade everybody, and some of those moves are going to be difficult. You’ve got to show your team and your fan base that you’re at least doing something. That might be more of a reasoning or a casualty-of-war scenario than anything right now.” Pagnotta said.

For now, it remains to be seen whether Nashville will move on from Brunette in an effort to spark the struggling team.