Predators Hire Luke Richardson As Assistant Coach
The Predators have added an assistant coach to Andrew Brunette‘s staff, confirming Tuesday in a press release that they’ve hired Luke Richardson. He’s replacing Todd Richards, whom the club said will not return to Nashville in 2025-26.
Richardson, who was the Blackhawks’ head coach for parts of three seasons from 2022-23 until his firing in December and also has previous head coaching experience in the AHL, also had stints as an assistant coach with the Senators (2008-12), Islanders (2017-18), and Canadiens (2018-22). Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean notes Richardson will oversee the club’s defense corps, although Darby Hendrickson will likely remain in charge of the penalty kill after replacing Dan Hinote on the bench last offseason.
Richards, meanwhile, had been with the Preds since the 2020-21 season and even took over as interim head coach for a few games late this year when Brunette was on leave. It’s unclear whether the 58-year-old initiated the departure himself or if Nashville made the decision not to retain him. Regardless, he should have no trouble landing on his feet. He was previously the Wild’s head coach in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons and also managed the Blue Jackets’ bench from 2012 to his firing early in the 2015-16 season. He has a career record of 204-183-37 (.525) and also had stops as an assistant coach with the Sharks (2008-09) and Lightning (2016-20) before arriving in Nashville.
“Luke brings a wealth of NHL experience as both a player and coach to our staff, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to the organization,” general manager Barry Trotz said. “With that experience, we believe he will be a valuable new voice and set of eyes – not just for our defensemen, but for our coaching staff. His strong character, leadership, perspective as a former NHL head coach and ability to connect with both young and veteran players will elevate our team on and off the ice.”
While the Preds had a highly disappointing 2024-25 campaign, ending up with a top-five draft pick despite beginning the season with aspirations of a deep playoff run after multiple high-profile free agent signings, they won’t be making any more coaching changes. Trotz told reporters last month that Brunette would be back behind Nashville’s bench next year.
Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette Away From Team For Family Matters
Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette missed the team’s Saturday practice due to family matters, and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. Assistant coach Todd Richards ran Saturday’s practice in Brunette’s absence and will be in line to man the bench should Brunette need to miss another day.
Richards has been in an assistant coach role for the last nine seasons, splitting time between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators. Before that, he served as the head of the Columbus Blue Jackets for parts of five seasons – starting his tenure as a midseason replacement for Scott Arniel in 2012. Richards led Columbus to three winning seasons, though they missed the playoffs in all but one year – and lost in the first round in the other year – of his reign. He was replaced by infamous Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella in 2016. Richards also served two seasons as the Minnesota Wild head coach from 2009 to 2011; and led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a loss in the Calder Cup Championship Final in 2008. His career head coaching record at the NHL level sits at 204-183-37, or a win percentage of 0.481.
A new voice at the helm could be aptly timed for the Predators. They’re in the midst of a five-game losing streak and have a dismal 8-13-1 record since the Four Nations Face-Off Break – seventh-worst in the NHL. Brunette led the Predators to a first-round exit in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but will miss the postseason by a large step this year. His .408 win percentage on the year is the second-lowest in Predators history, behind their 28-47-7 campaign in 1998-99.