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“We’re In That Transitional Phase": Barry Trotz Addresses Nashville Predators' Issues In YouTube Interview

Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators draft pick Tanner Molendyk shakes hands with incoming general manager Barry Trotz after being selected with the twenty fourth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

With the Nashville Predators having a six-day gap between games following their trip to Stockholm, Sweden, plenty of speculation is swirling about whether the club will make a coaching change or other moves this week.

In a Conversations and Coffee interview produced by the NHL and posted on YouTube over the weekend, Trotz and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas sat down for a casual back-and-forth over coffee during the 2025 NHL Global Series in Stockholm this past weekend.

The two executives spent over 10 minutes quizzing each other about the state of their teams. Trotz didn’t reveal any earth-shattering news about what might come next for the Predators. He did, however, offer some insight as to where he views the team currently and moving forward.

On the subject of the team’s efforts to get younger, Trotz has often been reluctant to use the term “rebuild”. He took a similar stance in his conversation with Dubas.

“We’re in that transitional phase where we’re not in… I don’t want to say a rebuild,” Trotz said. “We sorta are, but I just call it a build. We’re starting to build. We’ve got some older players who hopefully can keep us relevant for a bit, and we’ve got some young players that we gotta wait for.”

That waiting process has become more difficult with the Preds’ disappointing start to the 2025-26 season. After earning a split with the Penguins in the two-game Global Series, the Preds stand at 6-10-4, giving them 16 points and placing them seventh in the Central Division.

Trotz acknowledged his team was short of playmakers, even joking to Dubas during their conversation, “I don’t have enough playmakers. Could you give me Sid (Sidney Crosby) or (Evgeni) Malkin for a little bit? I think they could be a little more productive.”

That alone is an indication Trotz is aware of the team's desperate need for offense, which is ranked 30th in the NHL with 48 goals.

The Penguins are in a similar situation: trying to get younger while maintaining a core of veterans in Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Through 19 games this season, the Penguins are faring better than the Preds at 10-5-4 for 24 poins, good for third in the Metropolitan Division.

Malkin leads the Pens with 23 points, while Crosby is right behind with 21. Filip Forsberg, who skated in his 800th career NHL game in Sunday’s loss, leads the Preds with 15 points, followed by Ryan O’Reilly with 13.

Waiting for prospects to develop, then meshing them in with the core of veterans isn’t always easy.

“That’s the hard part in this business because we were in the playoffs for 14, 15 years, very similar to Pittsburgh,” Trotz told Dubas. “The cupboards were bare and we’re trying to fill the cupboards and now waiting is the hard part.”

Trotz also admitted during the interview there are certain aspects of coaching he still misses now that he’s in a GM role.

“One thing I miss, and I call it game day, is being in the dressing room and being a part of those quick decisions,” Trotz said. “I miss the real closeness I can have as a coach… You feel like you can affect things a little quicker.”

Which brings to mind the rumors swirling around the Predators about moving veterans in trades and a coaching change involving Andrew Brunette. Not surprisingly, Trotz had high praise for Brunette in his public chat with Dubas, calling him a “really good person for our organization.”

During media availability at the end of last season, Trotz declared both he and the organization were “standing behind him”, in reference to Brunette.

That was before the poor start to this season. If Trotz does decide to make a coaching change, would he go back behind the bench the rest of this season along with maintaining his GM duties?

One might read that sentiment into his comments about missing being in the locker room, but trying to fix a team from behind the bench and in the front office would be a lot to take on. The more likely scenario would be to bring in an interim coach, whether it’s Milwaukee Admirals head coach Karl Taylor or an assistant on Brunette’s staff.

There are no easy answers, either in the short- or long-term. One thing is clear, however: the Preds need fixing, and fast. Moves are sure to be made with trading veterans, making a change behind the bench, or both.

No matter how much Trotz publicly sugarcoats his team’s current situation, even he realizes the status quo cannot continue.

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Three takeawys: Panthers embracing next man up mentality, Seth Jones starting to heat up offensively

The Florida Panthers picked up an important two points on Monday night when they hosted the Vancouver Canucks in Sunrise.

Despite falling behind 2-0, Florida eventually stormed all the way back before blowing their own three-goal lead, eventually skating to an exhausting 8-5 win at Amerant Bank Arena.

For the Cats, it was a victory that came on a night where they were already playing a bit shorthanded.

In addition to the long-term losses the team is trying to manage, they were also without one of their most productive wingers on Monday and then during the game, one of Florida’s centermen went down with an injury.

As we’ve learned over the past several seasons, a little adversity isn’t going to stop the Panthers from trying to do what they do.

Let’s get to Monday’s takeaways:

PROGRESSIVELY IMPROVED

It was a strange night for the Panthers on Monday.

While they did well to suppress much of what Vancouver was trying to do offensively, there were some leaky moments that cost the Cats dearly.

As has been the case many times in the past, once they got back to a physical, predictable game, things started to move in the right direction for Florida.

“We got better as the game went on,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “We thought we were late on a lot of our forechecking pressure in our last game, and I thought that was our strength tonight.”

BIG SETH HEATING UP

It’s been a steady season for Panthers defenseman Seth Jones, but a quiet one, too.

He logged six assists over his first 15 games but has seen his offensively production take a major uptick lately.

Over his past four games, Jones has registered three goals and two assists.

All five of those points have come on the power play, too.

“Confidence is such a big part of what we do, and I think he's been looking for it,” said Maurice. “He's had a whole bunch of good chances that just haven't gone for him, he's either missed the net or didn't get the shot where he wanted it, but now it's starting to go for him.”

FOURTH LINE WINGS STEP UP

Florida center Cole Schwindt left Monday’s game late in the first period after an awkward collision with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and did not return.

This came on a night where the Panthers were already down one of their regular forwards, with winger Eetu Luostarinen ruled out with a lower-body injury earlier in the day.

The injury to Schwindt caused Maurice to somewhat shorten his bench, meaning the shifts for fourth line wingers Noah Gregor and Luke Kunin were suddenly more difficult to come by.

That didn’t stop the gritty forwards from making the absolute best with their limited ice time.

Gregor had the primary assist on a goal by Kunin early in the second period, and they combined for three shots and a plus-three on-ice rating.

“Those two guys, you can't look at the minutes to decide how important they were to the game when Cole (Schwindt) went down,” Maurice said. “Sometimes you get a quiet night, you got to run your top three lines hard, just get them all into the game, and so both Noah Gregor and (Luke) Kunin had an important role in our game tonight. They didn't play as many minutes as they earned or they deserved, they deserve to play more based on the quality of their game, but that's a great example of making an impact and having an impact regardless of the number of minutes you play.”

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Photo caption: Apr 28, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) shoots the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. (Rich Storry-Imagn Images)

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Cavaliers fined $100,000 for violating league player participation policy

On Nov. 12, the Cleveland Cavaliers were on the front end of a tough back-to-back, playing in Miami on Wednesday night then flying home to Cleveland to host Toronto on Thursday night. Cleveland chose to rest both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for the game in Miami, both were healthy scratches.

That cost the Cavaliers $100,000. The NBA announced the fine on Wednesday, saying it was "for violating the league's Player Participation Policy."

That policy states teams cannot rest two healthy star players — defined as having made an All-Star team in the past three years, which both Mobley and Mitchell have done — for the same game. If Cleveland had rested one player against the Heat on Wednesday and one against the Raptors on Thursday, that would have been allowed, but resting both on Wednesday violated the policy (which was created to reduce load management of stars in major games). The first fine for violating the policy is $100,000, a second violation would cost $250,000.

The Cavaliers won the game where they were shorthanded, beating Miami 130-116. They fell to the Raptors at home the next night, in a game where Mitchell and Mobley combined for 38 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.

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LeBron James reportedly 'aiming' to make season debut Tuesday vs. Jazz

All signs are pointing toward LeBron James making his season debut on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. He went through a full practice with the team on Monday and said, "Got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus." He has been officially listed as "questionable," which is standard for a player returning from injury who is very close to a return.

Now comes a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania that LeBron is "aiming" to make his debut on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena against the Jazz.

Add that to the evidence that Tuesday night will be the night — and once he plays, LeBron will become the first player in league history to reach 23 seasons on the court. By tradition, Lakers' coach J.J. Redick will likely not make anything official until he has to turn in the starting lineup card 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

Starting in August, LeBron began experiencing sciatica on his right side, which caused him to miss all of training camp as well as the first 14 games of the season. Everyone was cautious with his return.

Last season, LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, earning Second Team All-NBA honors and an All-Star selection. There have been questions about how LeBron will fit in a more Luka Doncic-centric offense, but the guess here is very well. LeBron is a high IQ player, he sees defenses blitzing and trapping Doncic more to get the ball out of his hands and dare any other Laker on the floor to beat them. That's a much riskier strategy when it's LeBron and Austin Reaves in the 4-on-3 created by doubling Doncic.

We may bet to see what all this looks like tonight.

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Warriors' ‘Strength in Numbers' absent as Buddy Hield, bench struggle vs. Magic

Warriors' ‘Strength in Numbers' absent as Buddy Hield, bench struggle vs. Magic originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Don’t blame the three veterans in the starting lineup. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green each played imperfect games Tuesday night, but they surely did enough to give the Warriors a reasonable chance at a victory that would have pushed their win streak to four games.

Several factors contributed to Golden State’s 121-113 loss to the Orlando Magic, but the most disappointing was the bench production. Or lack of it.

Orlando was without star forward Paolo Banchero, who averages 21.7 points per game. Yet he was not missed, as a 21-year-old wing named Anthony Black came off the Magic bench to torch the Warriors with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He played 33 minutes and posted a team-best plus-18.

Orlando’s bench piled up 35 points, while Golden State’s reserves totaled 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting, including 2 of 10 from deep.

Folks, a minus-13 bench output is not a winning formula – particularly for a team that starts three men in their mid-30s.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, however, remains optimistic.

“We have good team,” he told reporters at Kia Center. “We’ve got a lot of depth, we’ve got a great approach, our players are connected, chemistry is good.”

The Warriors qualify as a “good” team. Their approach is mostly solid. The players generally seem to be pulling in the same direction.

The depth? It’s a tour of highs and lows. And it hit another low against the Magic.

Al Horford led the bench crew with nine points and six rebounds and two steals, but he finished minus-11 over 27 minutes. Brandin Podziemski contributed five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, finishing minus-7 over 27 minutes. Gary Payton II, who scored four points, somehow finished minus-15 in 10 minutes. Quinten Post scored two points and finished with an even plus-minus.

And then there is Buddy Hield, the team’s most explosive bench player. The guy who over the last five seasons has drained more 3-pointers than anybody besides Curry. The guy who scored 33 points, dropping nine triples, to lift the Warriors to a Game 7 win over the Houston Rockets in a first-round NBA playoff series last season.
Hield came off the bench Tuesday, contributing two points and finishing minus-5 over 15 low-impact minutes.

The 32-year-old guard did not find his rhythm during the first four weeks of the 2025-26 NBA season. Since scoring 17 points – and banging five 3-pointers – on opening night, he is shooting 40.8 percent from the field and only 28.3 percent beyond the arc. He has scored in double figures only three times.

This Buddy isn’t helping the Warriors, and he’s trying the patience of his teammates. There is a reason why Butler, peeved committing a first-quarter turnover on a pass to Hield, barked at his teammate and friend.

“I’m never passing you the ball again,” Butler said.

No doubt, Butler will pass to Hield again. He’ll be a lot more comfortable doing so if he knows Buddy’s head is in the game and he’s playing at the level everyone knows he can reach.

Again, inefficiency and low production of the bench was the most disappointing factor. Turnovers, once again, damaged the Warriors. They were outrebounded (43-36) and punished in the paint (Orlando posted a 64-46 edge), as will happen to the smallest team in the league. Players not named Curry shot 6-of-21 from distance.

But to be destroyed by Black is a demerit for Warriors, and most of it lands on their bench.

“Anthony is a really good young player,” Kerr said. “He’s aggressive. I thought his defense was good and he attacked the rim and got some buckets.”

No lies detected, but the Warriors are in trouble if Black is outscoring their entire collection of reserves.

Black was leading an Orlando bench that entered the game ranked 28th in scoring, averaging 30.1 points per game. Golden State’s reserves, by contrast, were ranked 10th, averaging 37.1 points per game.

Insofar as this was Game 5 of a six-game road trip, the trio of heavy-minute veterans – who combined to commit 11 of Golden State’s 18 turnovers, clearly hurting the cause – really needed a boost from the bench. Not a lot, with Curry scoring 34 points, Butler dropping 33 and Green totaling 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

For the Warriors to become the feared offense they aim to be, there will have to be nights when they prevail with neither Curry nor Butler wearing a cape. As prolific as the Curry-Butler combo was, it was not enough.

Golden State’s bench, which has had some terrific games, must find ways to generate offense with more consistency. Even if it requires the support of the entire team to nudge Hield closer to his career shooting metrics.

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The Wraparound: Can The Canadiens Overcome Their Injuries?

The Wraparound is back with more NHL and hockey topics in rapid-fire segments.

Can The Canadiens Overcome Their Injuries? by The WraparoundCan The Canadiens Overcome Their Injuries? by The Wraparound

Here's what Emma Lingan, Michael Augello, and Jack Williams discussed in this episode:

0:00: Can the Montreal Canadiens overcome their injury issues?

4:17: Can the Toronto Maple Leafs save their season?

8:04: Breaking down Brad Marchand’s hot start with the Florida Panthers

11:09: Could Spencer Knight be the Chicago Blackhawks’ long-term answer in net?

15:24: Projecting how the Dallas Stars will handle Jason Robertson’s next contract

19:41: How important is it for Elias Pettersson to have a positive offensive season?

23:10: Could Josh Doan end up being a big part of the Buffalo Sabres’ future?

26:07: Looking at the most likely outcomes for the Nashville Predators this season

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

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Spotify

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Lakers' LeBron James making season debut on Tuesday vs. Jazz

Lakers' LeBron James making season debut on Tuesday vs. Jazz originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

After weeks of whispered optimism and cautious updates, the moment has finally arrived. LeBron James will make his long-awaited season debut tonight at Crypto.com Arena when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz, according to sources.

The 39-year-old superstar, who missed the team’s first 14 games with a right-side sciatica injury, has been cleared to return following a steady rehab process that tested both patience and belief. And with his first steps onto the hardwood tonight, James will cross a threshold no player in NBA history has ever touched — a 23rd NBA season, a landmark that bends the timeline of what longevity in sports was ever thought to be.

Thanks in large part to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have raced out to a 10-4 start, good for fourth place in the Western Conference. But James has always been the franchise’s gravity, the emotional and tactical engine that changes the shape of games just by existing on the floor. His presence stabilizes everything — pace, spacing, confidence — in ways analytics struggle to fully measure.

Tonight’s matchup against the Jazz suddenly becomes more than a mid-November meeting. It becomes a night where history and urgency share the same stage. Fans will see a player who refuses to age quietly, a man carrying the weight of two decades and still choosing to chase the game with the same fire he once brought as a teenage prodigy from Akron.

James said on Monday that he feels like “the new kid at school,” as far as re-entering the lineup on a team that added a few new faces in the offseason. Both James and head coach J.J. Redick said it could take some time for James to acclimate with new teammates DeAndre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia among others. 

James agreed, but it more concerned with his conditioning after he said his lungs “feel like a newborn baby” following a full practice with the Lakers on Monday morning at the team’s UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo. 

Tipoff is set for 7:30PM PT tonight in downtown L.A., where the arena lights will feel just a touch brighter. The Lakers get their leader back. The league gets another chapter in a story still refusing to end. And basketball, once again, leans in to watch the King walk out of the tunnel and into history.

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Trent Grisham accepts Yankees' qualifying offer, returns on one-year deal

Trent Grisham is returning to the Bronx.

After the Yankees extended the qualifying offer to the outfielder, the 28-year-old accepted the $22.025 million deal for the 2026 season on Tuesday. 

It was an interesting decision for Grisham. The veteran outfielder has been a solid player in his MLB career, but broke out in 2025 with the Yankees. His 34 homers this season were twice as many as his previous career high (2022 with the Padres) and his 74 RBI were 12 more than his previous high in 2021. It wasn't just his homers and RBI. Grisham set career marks in slugging (.464), hits (116), walks (82) and OPS (.811).

Many believed that Grisham would parlay that performance into a more lucrative deal, but he's choosing to stay with the Yankees.

Now, how does this affect the Yankees' offseason? GM Brian Cashman said that at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas earlier this month that he was "comfortable" extending the qualifying offer to Grisham and paying him the $22 million for one season, but that doesn't preclude him from trying to bring back Cody Bellinger -- who opted out of his Yankees deal after the 2025 season -- or filling the rest of the team's outfield.

"We’re comfortable [extending the qualifying offer to Grisham]. This is a very thin outfield market. If he turns it down, that means the market is flush with teams that have the need," Cashman said at the time. "He had a hell of a year for us, was one of the big reasons we had the level of success we did, and we’d be happy if he accepted and came back."

Grisham's return takes some of the pressure off Cashman to fill out his roster. Aaron Judge is the only everyday outfielder he can trust, but now he can pair the AL MVP with Grisham for 2026. 

As for the other outfielder, Cashman will look to bring back Bellinger, but there are also internal options available (Jasson Dominguez/Spencer Jones).

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"Fun To Get In There": Alex DeBrincat Reflects On Wild Finish To Victory Over Rangers

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Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat has been a streaky goal scorer throughout his entire NHL career, and he's currently on one of his usual heaters. 

DeBrincat has scored five goals in his past three combined games, including back to back contests in which he tallied twice. 

For his efforts, he was named one of the NHL's Three Stars of the Week, an honor that he described as "pretty cool". 

"It's pretty cool, there are a lot of good players in the League," DeBrincat said following practice on Tuesday. "I got a couple of chintzy goals there, but I'll take them all. But I think for us right now, it's keeping this momentum. Obviously, Buffalo wasn't great, but we had some good parts of the game and we gotta keep this good attitude going." 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

DeBrincat also tallied during Sunday evening's 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by a postgame confrontation involving nearly all players from both clubs.

It began after Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick, who was on the bench for an extra attacker, took exception to Mason Appleton firing the puck into the empty net a split second after the final horn sounded. Quick charged at Appleton as both teams made their way onto the ice, resulting in a melee. 

DeBrincat said that while he understood Quick's beef with Appleton, he didn't think his teammate broke one of the unwritten hockey codes. 

THN.com/FreeCat Scratch Fever: Red Wings' Alex DeBrincat Recognized By The NHL Cat Scratch Fever: Red Wings' Alex DeBrincat Recognized By The NHL Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat is being recognized by the NHL after scoring five goals and adding an assist for six total points in his last three games.

"It is what it is, I think I see his point, but I thought it was close enough to the buzzer," DeBrincat said of the experience. "Obviously, his (Quick's) view on it was different."

"It's valid, I like the fire, it was kind of fun to get in there and got some cool pictures out of it," the smiling DeBrincat continued. "It is what it is, I think everyone has their own view on the play, and maybe if it was their team, I'd have a different stance."

"But I thought it was close enough to the buzzer."

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Former Blackhawks Executive Al MacIsaac Is Waiting For His Second Chance

The man who was one of several people who helped transform the Chicago Blackhawks from a bottom-feeder into a dynasty is ready to return to the NHL. 

Al MacIsaac just needs someone to give him a chance. Or rather, a second chance. 

It’s been 16 months since the former Blackhawks executive, along with Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville, was reinstated by the NHL. But while Bowman and Quenneville are back working in the league, MacIsaac remains out of a job.

“I’ve talked to a lot of teams within the league,” MacIsaac said in a phone interview from his home in Virginia Beach, Va. “The teams that are talking to me realize that I’m ready. There’s nothing holding me back, except the right opportunity with the right team.”

Bowman was hired by the Edmonton Oilers a mere three weeks after being reinstated by the league on July 1, 2024. In his first season in Edmonton, Bowman guided the Oilers back to the Stanley Cup final, where they lost to the Florida Panthers. Quenneville waited a full year after being reinstated by the league before getting hired by the Anaheim Ducks. Since then, the Quenneville-coached Ducks have become one of the hottest teams in the NHL. 

“I’m not surprised,” MacIsaac said of the successes of his former Blackhawks colleagues. “It’s been great to see. When Stan got his opportunity to go back to Edmonton, he went in with obviously a pretty solid roster, but you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. To go to the Stanley Cup final two years in a row is very difficult. And he was able to play a part in that success. 

“Coming into Anaheim, I just think Joel slid right into that role and instantly had the respect of his players. He just has a calm approach, and he does things that players appreciate. It’s a skill to have that.” 

In a lot of ways, the successes that Bowman and Quenneville are having these days is a continuation of the success they had alongside MacIsaac in Chicago. 

From 2010 to 2015, the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups and 15 playoff rounds. MacIsaac was there for it all. Initially hired in 2000 as GM of the AHL team, he, along with coach Trent Yawney, oversaw the development of Hall of Fame defenseman Duncan Keith and so many others who were instrumental to those three championships. MacIsaac wore many different hats in his two decades with the organization. 

Eventually, he worked his way up to senior vice-president of hockey operations, where he worked side-by-side with Bowman and reported to then-president John McDonough.  

“It was pretty unique, actually,” said MacIsaac. “I made sure that all the miscellaneous things that can bog down a GM in his day, that I was going to take off his plate. It was a  behind-the-scenes role. It’s not always glamorous, but you’re doing a lot of the heavy lifting. In the roles that I’ve had, you don’t get a lot of credit. I have championship rings  that I’m proud of. That’s all the credit that I need.” 

In a salary cap era, what those Blackhawks teams were able to accomplish on the ice was pretty special.

“We were the first team to run into a cap crunch in 2010,” said MacIsaac. “In 2013, we rebuilt and added pieces and won again. And in 2015, after losing some players, we won again. It’s hard to do. I like to think it is a dynasty.” 

Despite all the success in those years, the 2010 season was marred by allegations that then-player Kyle Beach was sexually assaulted by the team’s video coach. An independent investigation in 2021 found that Bowman, Quenneville and MacIsaac, as well as McDonough, didn’t do enough to prevent the assault from occurring or handle the allegations in a timely and appropriate manner.

In the four years since then, MacIsaac has reflected on what he could have done differently, while also trying to pave a path forward. He spent time at home with his wife and three daughters. And for a couple of years, he volunteered stocking shelves at a local food bank. It’s his way, he said, of trying to make amends for a moment in his career that still carries a weight of regret.

“I had an opportunity to do a lot of things in my community that were really important to me to give back to the community in some ways,”  said MacIsaac, who said he and Beach have spoken a number of times. "I know it doesn’t do justice for Kyle, but it does help others. And I was trying to give back to the community to help others in the way that I wish I could have helped Kyle.” 

In his career, MacIsaac has been part of seven championship teams in four different leagues. He won a Memorial Cup as a player in 1986, won both as a player (1992) and then as a GM (1998) in the ECHL, a Calder Cup in the AHL (1993) and three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013 and 2015) with Chicago. 

“I started at the bottom as a general manager at 25 years old in the ECHL. I’ve ridden the bus for 16 years,” said MacIsaac, who in 2014 was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame. “And I have achieved the ultimate success of winning the Stanley Cup.”

Now, MacIsaac just wants to get back to what he loves. Like Bowman and Quenneville, he is just looking for the right opportunity.

“I’ve talked to a lot of teams in the league,” said MacIsaac. “I know I have the skill sets where I can come into any organization in any number of roles. But I’d love to come back in the same role, obviously, as a senior executive. I want to basically do a similar role, where I’m working alongside the general manager, and the president or ownership to build a Stanley Cup-winning team.

“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of three Cups and anyone who’s been a part of one will tell you they want another. You want to win again.”