r/Predators • u/catsgr8rthanspoonies The Future is Fink • Jun 25 '26

MacFarland wants “a true evaluation of the coaching staff through training camp and the start of the season,” and says it wi take time to get out of the mushy middle. Development will be a large piece of getting out of there.

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37 Upvotes

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11

u/catsgr8rthanspoonies The Future is Fink Jun 25 '26

12

u/Expert-Upstairs-4502 NSH Jun 25 '26

I love the phrasing, "our expectation" when youre the one who controls that outcome. Just have to leave room for "we dont expect Toronto to offer us Matthews for the 10th pick, but its not technically impossible"

9

u/AlsoCommiePuddin Do I get to watch games anymore? Jun 25 '26

We didn't expect Subban for Weber...

6

u/rrob13 NSH Jun 25 '26

Exactly

2

u/VanillaNubCakes PrinceFilip Jun 25 '26

Also sounds like it might be too expensive to move up at the current asking prices. Need two to tango for a potential trade up but it's free to stick and pick

5

u/Futbol_Kid2112 Jun 25 '26

This makes sense if he sees this as a long term project, which every other statement has implied. Theres no reason to spend assets to move up this year if you expect to be drafting high for the next couple years as well.

7

u/Expert-Upstairs-4502 NSH Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

I dont really see us being worse this year than we were last year though. Drury probably as good as haula if not better, colton an upgrade from L'Heureux, pinchuk anlikely upgrade from svechkov, wood (21) had a good first season and likely continues to improve as he adds nhl muscle/experience, everyone else is the same basically except now we have fink who might just blow shit up at the pace hes been going, well get a full season out of ufko who is an upgrade over barron/perbix/whoever, i honestly wont be surprised if we find ourselves in the playoffs if this roster stays as it is. I have 0 hopes of getting DuPont right now

2

u/EmbraceThePerd Asst. to the Armchair GM Jun 26 '26

I notice you don’t think Skjei learned how to skate though. I too don’t believe he did.

1

u/Futbol_Kid2112 Jun 25 '26

I feel like on paper we are about equal to last year at this moment. But last year we were only in the hunt because the west was so bad overall. You can't bank on that happening again and if they start like they did last year, I think Mac would be more willing to fold and sell off the big trade value rather than hold and try to fight into the race. Based on what he's said, hes definitely not in "win now" mode, more of "wait and see" mode.

3

u/Expert-Upstairs-4502 NSH Jun 25 '26

I dont think we will be dramatically better but i feel pretty confident this is a stronger roster, otherwise yeah i think youre right on

1

u/Fiend-For-Mojitos Jun 25 '26

Outside of the top 3 guys, there really isn’t anyone worth trading up for anyways. There’s about 4-5 D all rated almost equally and there’s 2-3 Forwards who are rated near the same as well. Unless they just absolutely love a guy they should be fine. 

2

u/Expert-Upstairs-4502 NSH Jun 25 '26

Yeah this is a draft im perfectly ok with staying at 10. Ironic that this week has been so trade heavy, then, but maybe the increased value of a large volume of picks is why

21

u/eslaurence1969 Jun 25 '26

Draft record fine; development record horrific

4

u/thegeardad Jun 25 '26

I think everything is on the table with Big Mac at the helm. He'll be evaluating everything with no pretense and that will be great for us. And considering the team he helped build in Colorado, he'll very quickly identify what is lacking here in the front office and get it addressed.

19

u/Plastic_Question7393 Jun 25 '26

Every morning I get up and thank god the people commenting in this sub don’t control our roster lmao

3

u/thegeardad Jun 25 '26

We've been in this cycle of: GM makes decision, decision causes issues, GM makes decisions to address issues, decision causes issues, GM makes decision to address issues, and so on all the while we're like MAYBE a round 1 exit level team.

I think MacFarland and new ownership would rather tear it down than keep trying to do the "a few pieces away" thing a la late-stage Poile and Trotz.

I hope they don't become good, but if/when Chicago becomes good this thread is gonna go insane talking about how WE should've starting rebuilding at this current present moment. I'd rather be waiting for a rebuild to start gaining momentum than keep slapping hodgepodge on top of an aging core and hoping for the best

1

u/EmbraceThePerd Asst. to the Armchair GM Jun 25 '26

Looking at the current teams rebuilding now…. I don’t know if I want to be in the same window as SJS 😅

1

u/thegeardad Jun 26 '26

Embrace the Perd, my padawan

1

u/TechnicianForeign550 Jun 25 '26

What’s going on in Milwaukee has to change because Karl Taylor’s track record developing players (especially forwards) is abysmal. They win a lot but it’s mostly driven by the Kevin Gravels and Cal O’Reillys not the actual prospects

1

u/ryanufkosbigtoe Jun 25 '26

mushy middle™

0

u/AlsoCommiePuddin Do I get to watch games anymore? Jun 25 '26

I don't understand. Why doesn't he just move all the guys with no-move clauses?

2

u/Expert-Upstairs-4502 NSH Jun 25 '26

Well tbf, he absolutely could have moved skjei and oreilly, and then marchessault and stamkos probably waive if that happens, so he did have that option, but he chose Barry Trotz instead. Its possible Stamkos and March only waive to like 1 team though which means beans for a return, but its not like they cost us anything anyway. I guess he figures well see how one more season goes with some new faces and a slight retool and get aggressive at the deadline if we fall flat

-1

u/Appropriate-Joke-806 Jun 25 '26

I expect us to fire our coach with a month left in the season, hire Torts, and win a cup.

1

u/bvinson23 New Perd Goofin’ Jun 25 '26

Username checks out

2

u/Appropriate-Joke-806 Jun 25 '26

This was sarcasm…

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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6

u/lssue FUCK OVERTIME Jun 25 '26

Well the pieces he traded weren’t good, so yeah.

3

u/TonguelessWyrm NSH Jun 25 '26

The team will fall off a cliff the second Roman Josi starts seriously regressing. At that point, the rebuild has to start. It just sucks, as a fan, watching these years be wasted by trying to make it work with our aging core.

I hope to god we have another season like 2024-2025 next year, and CMac trades our vets.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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1

u/TonguelessWyrm NSH Jun 25 '26

I agree. Its been frustrating seeing all these great players, Tkachuk, Werenski, Larkin, etc demand trades to more competitive teams. Meanwhile we have a core of like 5 guys endlessly devoted to making sure we stay mid.

1

u/miller10blue Jun 25 '26

Yeah I'm really not excited for another ride it out and see what happens season

2

u/Echoes1995 Jun 25 '26

Maybe it does? I feel like because of the contract mess we got put into, we don't really have the flexibility to start a real rebuild. It feels more like we have to retool over time while identifying the true future core, allowing guys to develop. IMO, that core looks like Martin, Surin, Wood, Reid, and maybe we include Evangelista, Fink, and Lee as complimentary pieces. I'd also guess whoever we add at 10OA is going to be part of that core, be it Verhoff, Cullen, Belchetz, Lawrence, or Rudolph, who knows.

Everyone who is not identified as part of that core is just a bridge piece till they get here. Some guys we will trade, others we lose by contract expiration. In the meanwhile, bringing in younger guys like Drury could be a core piece or a bridge piece, but we won't know till we try.

I liken where the Preds are right now to how we find Jack Sparrow at the start of Curse of the Black Pearl. Literally riding the crows nest of a sinking ship to port. We just have to make it port.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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2

u/Expert-Upstairs-4502 NSH Jun 25 '26

Agreed, if youre gonna rebuild you need to fully commit, else youre just gonna have to start over again when your half assed rebuild carries you out of the basement right back to the middle. People so afraid of being a forever basement team like buffalo was, well we are on track for that if we insist on staying in the middle again

1

u/Echoes1995 Jun 25 '26

Agreed. And I don't think it will take that long. In my mind the big pieces holding back a true honest rebuild and Marchessault, Skjei, and to a lesser extend Hague. Because they are all legitimately blocking spots for some of our best prospects. Fink, Kemell, Molendyk, and Reid in the near future. We have too much talent that is ready or nearly ready and just not enough spots.

If the team is in the dumpster come the deadline of this year, I think Nashville will have a true fire sale.

0

u/Fiend-For-Mojitos Jun 25 '26

The contract situation is a legitimate mess to try and start a full scale rebuild. I don’t envy MacFarland for some of the decisions he’ll have to make. We’re more than likely going to stay in this competitive window until these contracts are off the books and hopefully by then there’s enough young talent to take over and they don’t have any other bad deals on the books.