Chris MacFarland's move to the Predators highlights ruthless business side of the NHL

When we talk about the increasingly fleeting nature of working in a prominent management role in the NHL, there’s no better example than new Nashville Predators GM and president of hockey operations Chris MacFarland. 

Earlier this off-season, MacFarland was named a finalist for the Jim Gregory Award as the NHL’s best GM – but on Tuesday, MacFarland announced he’d left the Colorado Avalanche for the Predators, who gave him ultimate say in hockey decisions in a way that he didn’t have working under Avs president of hockey ops Joe Sakic. But you’d think the Avalanche could’ve figured out how to make MacFarland happy – and not leave for a Central Division rival in the Preds.

And as a side note – Colorado ownership deserves credit for allowing the Predators permission to speak to MacFarland. As we’ve seen with the Vegas Golden Knights this year, that basic willingness to allow a fired employee to find work with another team is no longer a given for NHL organizations.

So when the Avalanche let MacFarland leave, it showed you that Vegas’ rationale for preventing coach Bruce Cassidy from interviewing with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings is so much nonsense. Teams have done this kind of thing all the time, and that’s why the Golden Knights’ decision to leave Cassidy in limbo is terrible optics for Vegas.

Certainly, the NHL’s GM and management community is under more pressure than ever before. Since last summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Seattle Kraken, St. Louis Blues, Predators, and Avalanche have changed their GMs or presidents of hockey ops. That’s nearly a 33 percent turnover rate. That’s about as demanding a line of work as it gets.

MORE: Reacting To Chris MacFarland Leaving Avalanche To Become Predators' GM And Hockey Ops President

Consolidating power is a natural instinct for NHL management members, so MacFarland’s decision to move on – even after creating an Avs team that was by far the best in the regular season – is nonetheless understandable. The carousel of GMs and presidents can affect even the top organizations in the league, and although the Predators are nowhere close to as good as the Avalanche, it’s easy to see why MacFarland chose to depart Denver for Nashville.

Even if the Predators have to be built from the ground up, the chance to put together their idea of what an NHL organization should look like is an extremely attractive prospect for high-stakes management figures like MacFarland.

The Avalanche gave MacFarland the chance to demonstrate he’s one of the sharpest people in the game, but the Preds have now given him the chance to show he doesn’t need to be supervised by anyone – and that he can deliver a Stanley Cup to a Predators franchise still looking for its first championship.

MORE: The Avalanche Didn’t Lose Chris MacFarland—They Handled His Exit Like Few Teams Ever Would

If you’re a Nashville fan, it should be heartening that MacFarland chose to leave the Avs for the Preds. But if you’re an Avalanche fan, it shouldn’t make you overly upset that MacFarland is moving on. Giving back the GM role to Sakic still leaves the same guy in the ultimate seat of power who was in that seat for all of Colorado’s recent successes. 

At the same time, you can’t fault MacFarland for seeking and finding a team that wants him making all the big choices. The Predators get someone who still has something to prove, and that’s not something you can say about Sakic with the Avs. Nashville is making a calculated gamble that MacFarland still has room to grow as an executive, and Colorado is gambling they can succeed without MacFarland’s services.

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