Chris MacFarland’s new-look Nashville Predators staff now includes another familiar face from the Avalanche side.
On Friday, the Predators announced that former Colorado forward Matt Calvert has been hired as a forward development coach. Calvert spent three seasons with the Avalanche, where he was usually deployed on the fourth line but produced the two most productive seasons of his NHL career.
During that stretch, Calvert set a career high with 26 points in 82 games in 2018-19, then followed it with 25 points in just 50 games the next season. Injuries eventually shortened his career, and he appeared in only 18 games in 2021.
Calvert’s addition comes after MacFarland, who took control of Nashville’s hockey operations in early June, already brought in another Avalanche connection in Rob Blake. The NHL Hall of Famer and Colorado Stanley Cup champion was hired as executive vice president of hockey operations. Blake had reportedly been in talks with MacFarland for a role with the Avs before leaving for the Central Division rival.
The ties between MacFarland and Calvert go back further than Colorado. MacFarland spent years in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization after joining the team in 1999, working his way through several roles and eventually reaching assistant GM before leaving for the Avalanche in 2015.
Calvert, meanwhile, was drafted by Columbus in the fifth round in 2008 and played his first eight NHL seasons there.
Even after his playing days wound down, Calvert stayed connected to his former team. Over the past several seasons, he was often seen taking in Avalanche games, especially in the playoffs.
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What makes him worth tracking closely is the balance between upside and refinement. Scouts are comfortable with the talent, but his consistency, defensive play and work away from the puck are still part of the conversation, which is why his path is expected to run through another season with the Victoriaville Tigres before he moves on to Penn State and, eventually, the NHL. If that development goes right, Colorado may have found more than just a useful prospect. [Read more 🡒]