NASHVILLE -- Andrew Brunette said Monday he’s focused on doing his part as Nashville Predators coach to help them end a seven-game skid (0-4-3), addressing any concerns he may have about his job security.
The Predators (7-15-6) are last in the NHL in goals for per game (2.18) and have been shut out five times. They’ve scored two or fewer in each of the seven losses, including three in the past three, and 19 of 28 games this season.
“I guess that’s been a little bit of the story most of the year,” Brunette said. “I think we’ve had really good offensive zone time, top five in the League. We deliver a lot of pucks, one of the top teams. They’re just not going in. We’re a little snakebitten right now.
"I feel there's certain nights that we left some things on the board. It could be a totally different story if things broke differently, but we are where we're at and all we can do is focus on tomorrow.”
Nashville hosts the Calgary Flames at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SNW).
After being eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Predators are coming off arguably their biggest offseason in franchise history. On July 1, they signed forwards Steven Stamkos (four years, $8 million average annual value) and Jonathan Marchessault (five years, $5.5 million AAV), and defenseman Brady Skjei (seven years, $7 million AAV). Stamkos (seven), Marchessault (five) and Skjei (two) have combined for 14 goals this season.
So, with offense hard to come by and the losses mounting, Brunette was asked about his job security after practice Monday.
“I think in our business, we're terminal, in my business anyways,” he said. “It's just like all of us in life. I don’ t think we’re overly concerned about it.
“When it happens, it happens. In saying that, it is what it is. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game. I think something's bound to break, and hopefully it breaks tomorrow."
The players have admitted that battling through frustration has been challenging at times this season. However, they’re focused on trying to continue to build chemistry and climb as far in the standings as they can.
“We are where we are, you know?” Nashville captain Roman Josi said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of room for improvement. We’ve got to play a lot better, and I think we all know that. At the same time, like I said, we are where we are, so we’ve got to find a way out of it.
“We’re going to keep doing that. We’re going to keep trying. We’re going to keep talking about it, keep trying to get better. Everybody wishes things would be different, but they’re not. So, we’ve got to find a way together, as a team, an organization to get out of this.”
As far as the roster is concerned, Nashville general manager Barry Trotz told NHL.com he isn’t ready to shake up his roster or make panic moves to bring in short-term help at the expense of long-term gains.
The Predators entered Monday 12 points behind the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche for the two wild cards in the Western Conference.
“I’m patient,” Trotz said. “I’m always looking at the trade market, but I’m not going to give up prime assets for rentals or anything. It has to be someone that will help us now and for years to come.
“I’m not changing the plan we’ve talked extensively with ownership about. They understand the plan, and hopefully we can thread the needle here, get back in the race and be playing meaningful games down the stretch.”
NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report
