{"id":556934,"date":"2026-04-20T22:55:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T22:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/556934\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T22:55:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T22:55:59","slug":"latest-on-predators-gm-search-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/556934\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest On Predators GM Search \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been four months since the Nashville Predators announced general manager Barry Trotz\u2018s plans to step down from his role<\/a> this summer. They have been in the thick of a search for a replacement ever since, building up a long list of candidates along the way. That list is expected to continue growing with the NHL regular season now wrapped up, which allows Nashville the chance to speak with candidates that they did not have immediate permission to interview per hockey insider Frank Seravalli<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The influx of options after the end of the season has helped Nashville begin checking names off of their list. Internal candidates Jeff Kealthy and Scott Nichol<\/a>, both currently assistant GMs with Nashville, have been informed they are no longer candidates according to Seravalli. That means the Predators\u2019 next GM will likely come from outside of the organization, putting much more focus on the team\u2019s upcoming interviews. That importance is clear to the Predators\u2019 ownership. Minority owner and record-holding college football coach Nick Saban has even sat in on some interviews, adds Seravalli.<\/p>\n

Through early interviews, three candidates have emerged above the rest. Edmonton Oilers AGM Bill Scott, Florida Panthers AGM Brett Peterson, and Dallas Stars AGM Scott White have each had multiple in-person interviews for the role according to Seravalli.<\/p>\n

Scott handles the Oilers\u2019 day-to-day cap management and contract negotiations with players and staff. He was a minor-league GM for four years before joining the Oilers, with a focus on interpreting the league\u2019s by-laws and collective bargaining agreement. Scott now serves as the Oilers\u2019 liaison to the NHL for any matters related to the CBA.<\/p>\n

Peterson was vice president of the Wasserman Media Group before joining the Panthers\u2019 staff in 2020. During his own playing days, Peterson \u2013 a member of the 2001 National Championship-winning Boston College Eagles \u2013 was represented by current Panthers GM Bill Zito. That connection eventually transformed into a role in Florida\u2019s front office, where Peterson offers expertise in roster and cap management. He was also named the GM of Team USA for the 2026 World Championship.<\/p>\n

White handles GM duties of the AHL\u2019s Texas Stars and also serves as Dallas\u2019 Director of Hockey Operations. He has been with the Stars since 2005, took over GM duties for the AHL\u2019s Stars in 2009, and became an NHL AGM in 2016. In that time, White has overseen a Texas Stars team that won the 2014 Calder Cup and finished as runner-ups in 2010 and 2018. In total, the AHL Stars have made 12 of a possible 15 postseasons since White took over management duties \u2013 excluding the cancelled 2020 postseason. He also brings a key focus on roster management, a trait that seems to be a major focal point of Nashville\u2019s GM search.<\/p>\n

The Predators also spoke with<\/a> New York Rangers AGM Ryan Martin, a veteran of NHL front offices who began his career with the Detroit Red Wings in 2005. Martin was Detroit\u2019s Director of Hockey Administration during their 2008 Stanley Cup win, then led the AHL\u2019s Grand Rapids Griffins to Calder Cup Championships as their GM in 2013 and 2017. He also supported the USA World Junior Championship roster as a scout for their 2021 Gold Medal win. Martin<\/p>\n

Despite a trio of candidates rising to the top, the Predators\u2019 next GM may not have had their first interview just yet. Nashville plans to interview former New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald<\/a> later this week<\/a>. Fitzgerald was named the first captain in Predators\u2019 history in 1998. He held the honor for four seasons and was leaned on as a defensive-winger during his time with Nashville. He moved on in 2002 and retired from playing in 2006.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald\u2019s managerial career began in a player development role with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the following season. He was promoted to AGM in 2009 and held onto the role for six years, leaving right before the club won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. While his old club sized rings, Fitzgerald moved to an AGM role with the Devils, a position he would be promoted from partway through the 2019-20 season. The Devils made two of a possible six postseasons under Fitzgerald\u2019s reign. Questions around his ability to make meaningful changes and upgrades to the roster boiled to the surface, though experience in the Predators\u2019 organization and an already-established prospect pool could be enough to put him on the right track in his second GM role.<\/p>\n

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If not Fitzgerald, the Predators could also move forward with former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin<\/a> or Boston Bruins AGM Jamie Langenbrunner<\/a> per Pagnotta. Those names will round out a lengthy shortlist for Nashville\u2019s open GM chair. Their options include years of GM experience, assistants on the rise, and innovative and stat-driven thinkers. It doesn\u2019t seem the Predators will be in much of a rush to make their decision, with interviews still on the schedule and the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet to play out. On the other side of the postseason, Nashville will face a choice that will define the club\u2019s future through the 2020s.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It has been four months since the Nashville Predators announced general manager Barry Trotz\u2018s plans to step down…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5119],"tags":[60812,59000,5,62350,4955,2409,231,5281,4,2410,31854,61904,3502],"class_list":{"0":"post-556934","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nashville-predators","8":"tag-bill-scott","9":"tag-brett-peterson","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-jamie-langenbrunner","12":"tag-marc-bergevin","13":"tag-nashville","14":"tag-nashville-predators","15":"tag-nashvillepredators","16":"tag-nhl","17":"tag-predators","18":"tag-ryan-martin","19":"tag-scott-white","20":"tag-tom-fitzgerald"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116439508381096477","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=556934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}