Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz says teams have called about fired coach John Hynes
The road to John Hynes' next coaching job may very well go through Nashville. Same for Dan Lambert.
Both were fired Tuesday by the Nashville Predators — Hynes as the head coach and Lambert as his assistant. Both have one year remaining on their contracts, meaning teams interested in interviewing either of them for a job must first have the Predators' blessing.
The man who fired them, incoming Predators general manager Barry Trotz, told The Tennessean on Tuesday that he's already received calls from teams interested in talking with Hynes and that he'd 100% support them any way he can when it comes to helping them find new jobs.
"With John, I know he's going to get some play, you're going to hear his name with teams right now, if you haven't already," Trotz said. "We have to give permission, so I already know he's getting some play.
"That tells me he's a good coach and other organizations are interested in him. I will support John and his next ventures for sure. It's nothing personal. It's just the direction I felt we have to go."
Trotz said there were some "feelers" inquiring about Hynes' future with the Predators before he was fired Tuesday.
Trotz, the first coach in franchise history, referred to both Hynes and Lambert as "excellent coaches, no question" and said he fired them because he felt the team "needed a new voice." That doesn't mean Trotz won't put in a good word for them.
"If I'm asked for a recommendation, I would highly recommend John Hynes," Trotz said. "He's cleaned up a lot of stuff over the last (three-plus years) and got some career years out of some of our top guys."
Trotz said as a former head coach himself the decision to fire the two, one of his first major moves in his new role, didn't come easy. His meeting with them Tuesday, he said, wasn't easy either, but was something he needed to do.
"I felt it was the best-case scenario; they have a year left on their contracts," he said. "There is some runway for them to regather themselves and get back in the game."
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators GM Barry Trotz will help fired John Hynes find job if he can
