The Nashville Predators hired Chris MacFarland as their president of hockey operations and general manager, the team announced Tuesday.MacFarland succeeds Barry Trotz, who announced in February he’d step down from his duties but remain in the position until a successor was found.“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,” MacFarland said in a news release.The Predators’ GM search was exhaustive; the team spoke to at least a dozen candidates before hiring MacFarland, who was previously the general manager of the Colorado Avalanche.“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,” Predators majority owner and chairman Bill Haslam said in the statement.

MacFarland’s executive career began in 1999 in Columbus, where he spent 16 years in the Blue Jackets’ hockey operations department. MacFarland helped with professional and amateur scouting, player contract negotiations, salary cap management and even ran the Blue Jackets’ minor-league affiliates. He joined the Avalanche organization in 2015 as an assistant general manager, working alongside franchise legend and then-GM Joe Sakic.The Avs had ended the 2014-15 season as the Central Division’s worst team. Two years later, they were the league’s worst team. But MacFarland helped turn things around, culminating with Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship over the Tampa Bay Lightning. In July 2022, the Avs promoted MacFarland to general manager, with Sakic assuming president of hockey operations duties.The Avalanche said in a statement that Sakic will take over GM duties “for the foreseeable future, including through this month’s draft and the start of the league year.”Trotz had been the Predators’ GM since July 1, 2023, when he succeeded David Poile. Trotz previously spent 15 seasons as head coach of the Predators, working under Poile. Nashville only reached the playoffs once in Trotz’s three years as general manager.Jun 2, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms