The Nashville Predators have appointed Chris MacFarland as their new general manager and president of hockey operations, concluding a nearly four-month search by the organization.
MacFarland made his first media appearance in Nashville after securing the dual role. He previously served with the Colorado Avalanche.
Predators Chairman and majority owner Bill Haslam said the organization targeted MacFarland based on recommendations from prominent executives across the league.
MacFarland's name frequently arose during consultations regarding the vacancy.
"When you talk to other great general managers and presidents of hockey ops around the league, and I said, 'If you were me, who would you go get?'
Chris' name came up time and time again from the very best people in the League," Haslam recalled.
MacFarland emphasized his desire to establish a lasting hockey culture in the region. He expressed a commitment to engaging the local youth fanbase and building a competitive program.
"We want to build something here…and make hockey something that's in the blood of every young Tennessee fan and build something really special," MacFarland said.
The new general manager detailed that his discussions with ownership centered on pursuing a championship rather than settling for marginal postseason appearances.
MacFarland indicated that the shared vision for the franchise was a primary factor in his acceptance.
"I said, 'Mr. Haslam, is the goal here to make the playoffs, make a Wild Card, feel good about that and high five each other?
Or is the goal here to build a team that can compete and try to bring a Stanley Cup to Broadway?'
And he didn't hesitate. [He said], 'The goal here is to try and win [a Stanley Cup].'
And that's really, quite honest, all I needed to hear," MacFarland said.
MacFarland acknowledged that the roster requires development to reach championship caliber, though he noted the presence of valuable assets and draft capital.
He stated that ultimate success depends on on-ice performance and optimizing the environment for players.
"Obviously there's work to do here, and we're not where we want to be, but there's a lot of good pieces here, and there's a lot of draft capital," MacFarland said.
The management plan focuses on establishing a strong foundation and positioning personnel to maximize player abilities.
MacFarland noted that the timeline for improvement will remain dependent on the roster's development.
"But, ultimately the results happen on the ice, and we just want to put our players and the team in the best position to have success and make life as easy for them off the ice so that they can focus on the job at hand, which is trying to win hockey games - which is not easy to do in this League.
We're going to look to get better. How quick that happens?
The players will dictate that… [Winning] is a really hard thing to do.
But I think the first step first is to build, get the foundation right, get the right people in place on the hockey side and to work with the players to help them maximize their abilities.
And then, we'll go from there," MacFarland said.
