Here's what NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said of Predators ownership transition to Bill Haslam

NEW YORK — As far as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is concerned, the Nashville Predators, majority owner Herb Fritch and incoming majority owner Bill Haslam wrote the book on smooth transitions.

Bettman said during his annual meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors group Tuesday at the NHL's offices in Manhattan that the passing of the baton has gone off without a hiccup.

"It's a great case study in how to do a smooth succession plan in terms of ownership," Bettman said. "It's a tribute to Herb Fritch, the ownership group and Bill Haslam."

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Haslam, a former Tennessee governor, joined the team's ownership group in 2022, and as planned, is on track to take over Fritch's majority stake on July 1, 2025.

There are many reasons Bettman has been impressed by the process, not the least of which is that Haslam is a Tennessean.

"Having somebody that's tied to Tennessee," Bettman said, "having been a former governor, among other things, stepping up and wanting to be the principal owner of this franchise, I think is great."

What do Bill Haslam, Herb Fritch have in common with Barry Trotz, Davie Poile?

Haslam likened the transition to when Barry Trotz moved into the Predators' general manager role by working alongside David Poile for what turned out to be four months before taking over.

"There's a lot of different ways to make a transition," Haslam told The Tennessean in February 2023. "One is one person walks out the door, the other person walks in the door and starts from square one.

"I think what we have the luxury with David and Barry is two people who have worked together for a long time. They know each other well. So there's not this question of, 'OK, when's the new guy taking over?' . . . Herb has been great in the same way and working together."

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What NHL's Gary Bettman says of Predators transition to owner Bill Haslam