NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Nashville Predators announced on Tuesday that Chris MacFarland will serve as the team’s President of Hockey Operations and General Manager.
MacFarland is replacing Berry Trotz, who announced he would retire in March. He is the third general manager and second president of hockey operations in the history of the Preds’ organization.
Advertisement
⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com
MacFarland spent the last 11 seasons in Denver where he won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. He started as assistant general manager in 2015 and was promoted to general manager in July 2022. Colorado was most recently on the verge of another Stanley Cup Final appearance before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.
“My wife Chandra and I, together with our children, are grateful to Bill and Crissy Haslam and the entire Nashville Predators family for this opportunity,” MacFarland said. “We also thank everyone at the Avalanche, including Joe Sakic and the Kroenke family, for their support in pursuing this position with the Predators; I believe Nashville will be a great fit for me.
“I know this is a proud organization with a solid track record of putting together teams that the fans of Smashville support wholeheartedly. My goal here is to build a winner, working with Bill Haslam, Sean Henry and our hockey operations staff and players to put a team on the ice that will compete for the Stanley Cup. I am excited about our future.”
Advertisement
The Predators credited MacFarland for helping bring “cornerstone players” to the Avalanche, who were instrumental in helping bring a Stanley Cup to Colorado.
“We could not be more pleased that Chris has elected to join the Predators organization and lead our hockey operations group,” Nashville Predators Chairman and Majority Owner Bill Haslam said. “We conducted an exhaustive search and were able to meet with several very qualified and impressive candidates, but all along, we were hopeful to interview Chris. He turned out to be a perfect fit for us – just what we were looking for to lead our organization moving forward.
“I’d like to thank the Colorado Avalanche, the Kroenke family and Joe Sakic for giving Chris permission to talk with us and for supporting his desire to make this move. I’d also like to thank the members of our search committee, those who expressed interest in joining the Predators in this role, and especially Barry Trotz for his work in positioning Chris for success. We appreciate everyone’s time and effort in this endeavor.”
MacFarland spent 16 years (1999-2015) working in the hockey operations department of the Columbus Blue Jackets before heading to Colorado. He played college hockey at Pace University before earning a business degree and graduating from law school.
Advertisement
Trotz will now enter an advisory role for the organization after his three seasons as general manager.
📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
“I am pleased to welcome ‘C-Mac’ to the Predators organization, and I pledge to help him fulfill his vision in any way that I can for the next year,” Trotz said. “Chris is a great competitor and one of the best in the business – I know he is going to do an excellent job leading our hockey operations group, and I look forward to assisting him as we move forward. Since making my announcement this past February, I have been working with a focus on turning the team over to our new general manager in the best possible position to achieve success, and I am confident that Chris has the tools necessary to build a winner here in Nashville.”
MacFarland and the Predators front office’s attention will now turn to the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine from June 1-6 in Buffalo. The Preds hold the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Advertisement
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.