Trotz hangs on in Nashville

It looks like Nashville Predators GM David Poile has exercised his option to keep the current coaching staff in place, despite a disappointing first-round playoff exit:



All in all, this is in keeping with the steady, long-term thinking that has led to incremental progress in each of the Predators' seasons under Poile and Trotz. The mandate for next season should be quite clear - playoff success, and a Central Division title. There will no doubt be significant roster changes for next year, but Trotz has shown an ability to build a competitive team with middling talent before - and he still has plenty of talent to work with, whether or not star free agents like Paul Kariya and Kimmo Timonen move on.

While many local fans wanted Trotz's head for this latest playoff stumble, in reality, there are very few tenable options out there in the coaching ranks if a change was made. While Terry Crisp (who provides color commentary on Preds broadcasts) would be a popular choice, it's been a long age since he stepped behind an NHL bench, and there's little indication that he'd like to do so again...