Predators overhaul key leadership roles with Brian Poile exit, MacFarland GM start and Rob Blake VP hire

The Nashville Predators’ front office entered a new phase this week, highlighted by two leadership moves and the departure of longtime executive Brian Poile. President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland was hired earlier this month, and on June 5 the team added another heavyweight voice, naming Hall of Fame defenseman Rob Blake as executive vice president of hockey operations. At the same time, Poile, who had served as assistant general manager and director of hockey operations, is leaving the organization as Nashville “moves in a different direction.”

The timing matters because Nashville is not waiting for the next season to prove it can climb back into playoff position. The Predators finished 38-34-10 and placed sixth in the Central Division, four points out of a playoff spot, and they have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. They also enter the summer with 12 selections for the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft, with the league’s scouting and roster-building calendar shifting into full gear at the end of June and the start of July.

Poile’s exit closes a long chapter in the day-to-day machinery of Nashville’s hockey department. In his nearly 16 years with the organization, Poile joined in 2010 and later became assistant general manager in May 2018. The team’s announcement described his scope as broad: he had a role in fiscal and strategic planning, player and staff personnel decisions, contract and arbitration matters, and the operational side of hockey business including roster management, payroll, budgets, salary-cap oversight, and compliance with NHL rules and the CBA.

MacFarland’s arrival, meanwhile, sets the organizational tone for the offseason stretch. Nashville announced him as its new GM and president of hockey operations after what the club described as a four-month search. In his introductory media run, MacFarland framed the job as both rebuilding and preparing to strike when opportunities appear, with owner Bill Haslam describing the mission as winning a Stanley Cup, not simply chasing short-term playoff certainty.

The first measurable test of MacFarland’s plan arrives quickly. The Predators are set to pick 10th overall at the 2026 NHL Draft, which is scheduled for June 26-27 in Buffalo, and the start of NHL free agency is set for July 1. Beyond the draft slot itself, the timing forces immediate decisions on how Nashville values existing contracts, how it balances current needs with prospect development, and how it staffs the internal processes that lead to deals.

Blake’s hire is the other major piece of the reshaped structure, bringing a coach-and-front-office mind into a senior role. reported that Blake, 56, was hired on June 5 as executive vice president of hockey operations. His resume includes an NHL Hockey Hall of Fame playing career and a management career that featured an extended run as Los Angeles Kings general manager from 2017-25. During those eight seasons as GM, he guided the Kings to a 309-238-71 regular-season record and five playoff berths, and he won the Stanley Cup with Los Angeles as an assistant general manager in 2014.

Even with new leadership in place, one continuity thread remains. Barry Trotz announced plans earlier this year to retire as general manager, and Nashville said he would assist in choosing his successor and remain with the organization as an advisor through the 2026-27 season. With Trotz’s advisory role overlapping the early stages of the MacFarland-Blake era, the offseason should also reveal how much influence the outgoing leadership has on the process and final calls as Nashville tries to close the gap in the Central.