Chris MacFarland has wasted no time reshaping the Nashville Predators, and the early returns are pretty easy to spot: more depth, more options, and a roster that looks a lot sturdier than it did not long ago.
In less than two months on the job, the GM has been busy enough to draw a full report card. Some of the moves are clean wins.
A couple come with real questions attached. But taken together, the body of work points in one direction: MacFarland has upgraded the group.
The most interesting swing so far might be the Ross Colton trade, which gets a B+. On paper, moving a likely lifetime AHL goalie prospect and a pair of thirds for a versatile middle-6/bottom-9 forward makes sense.
The catch is the contract. Colton carries a $4 million AAV, and that could pinch the cap in the short term.
His numbers have also slid since a 40-point season in 2023/24, with just 9 goals and 24 points last season. Still, a couple of down years do not erase a career, and a fresh start could help.
With only one year left on the deal, the real payoff may come if Nashville can later keep him around for something closer to $2.75 million.
Jack Drury is a tougher sell, and the grade reflects it at C+. The move sent out two forward prospects with middle-6 potential for a bottom-6 player, a third, and a likely AHL lifer, which is why plenty of Preds fans weren’t thrilled.
There’s a belief here that MacFarland sees something in Drury, but the secondary motive appears to have been moving on from Svechkov after a disappointing sophomore season. Svechkov dropped from 8 goals and 9 assists in 54 games in 2024/25 to 4 goals and 13 assists in 70 games.
L’Heureux was likely included to get the deal across the finish line. Even so, it feels like an overpay.
The cleanest win on the board is the draft-day move up, which earns an A. Nashville gave up two second-round picks to get to 31st overall, then used that pick on defenseman Tommy Bleyl.
Bleyl was viewed by some as a player who could go in the late teens, and his skating stood out as one of the best in the class. The upside here is obvious: a future two-way piece on the blue line, and maybe the best late-round steal in the draft.
There’s also the Adam Edstrom trade, which lands at B-. It’s easy to see the appeal.
A 25-year-old who stands 6'8, brought in for forward depth, cost a fifth-round pick and a C-tier prospect. That sounds fine until you look at the bigger picture.
With the depth chart getting crowded soon after, Edstrom may end up as a 13th forward, which could block prospects like Ozzy Wiesblatt. The size is intriguing, but the fit is less convincing in hindsight.
Nils Hoglander is one of the more intriguing bets, and the B+ grade fits the risk-reward profile. His production has fallen hard, from a career-high 36 points in 2023/24 to 25 points the next season and just 5 points last season.
But the blame here is aimed more at Vancouver than at Hoglander himself. The team’s decline, the locker-room issues, and the departure of key stars all dragged the roster down, and his numbers weren’t the only ones that suffered.
Just a year before that collapse, Hoglander posted a career-high 24 goals at 23 years old, which leaves room to dream on real scoring upside if the change of scenery works.
Then there’s the move that really changes the conversation: the Mavrik Bourque trade, which gets an A+. This was the cap dump that turned into a major win.
Nashville paid a second and a third, and took on Lyubushkin - described here as the equivalent of a cone on the blue line, though still an improvement over Barron - and in return landed a true 2C, one of the NHL’s most valuable positions. Center depth had been a major issue, and MacFarland addressed it directly.
The hope now is that Bourque can grow into even more, possibly a 1C down the line and, with enough luck, the star Preds fans have been waiting for.
The Alexander Kerfoot signing checks in at B-. There’s value in Kerfoot, but $7 million over the life of the deal, or $3.5 million AAV, is steep for a bottom-six forward in his 30s.
The move feels like a Trotz-style push, almost a speedrun back to the playoffs. That tracks with the idea that Nashville may be trying to get back there within the next two seasons, which lines up with the possibility that Josi, Stamkos, and O'Reilly could retire around then.
The intent is clear: load up the depth and try to win now. The price, though, is hard to ignore.
Put all of it together, and MacFarland’s early grade comes out to a B+.
That’s a strong start. The forward group is deeper, the center spine looks better, and the roster has a much more promising shape than it did before these moves. There’s still plenty of time for more transactions, but right now the direction is obvious, and it would not be a surprise to see this team in the playoffs next season.