Report: Predators end contract with CAA following NHLPA review
The Nashville Predators‘ hunt for a new general manager doesn’t appear to be going as smoothly as hoped.
After Barry Trotz stepped down as the team’s GM on February 2nd, Nashville hired the agency CAA to conduct the search for the third ever GM in franchise history. However, the NHL Players’ Association didn’t seem too pleased with this hire, as they reportedly decided to review the Predators’ deal with CAA for a potential conflict of interest.
On Saturday, CAA has reportedly ended its contract with Nashville to conduct the search for the team’s next GM.
CAA Executive Search says it has "ended its contract with the Nashville Predators with respect to the general manager search" after "a productive call with the @NHLPA." This comes after @frank_seravalli reported the PA was reviewing a potential conflict of interest. Story at
The decision to end the contract apparently came after a “productive call” with the NHLPA, suggesting the findings of the NHLPA’s review were enough to prove an unreconcilable conflict of interest.
According to the NHLPA’s agent certification rules, agencies that represent players may not also have business with the ownership group or front office personnel of any NHL team, even if said business is being conducted by a department or arm of the agency that is not directly involved in player representation. So in this case, the fact that the search would’ve been conducted by CAA’s “Executive Search” division rather than CAA Sports specifically, would not be enough to satisfy the NHLPA’s conflict-of-interest rules.
It seems Nashville will have to pursue a new path towards finding their next GM. When they do ultimately make their hire, it will be a major development for the franchise. The Predators have only had two GMs in their history. David Poile had been the team’s GM from their inception in 1998 until his retirement in June of 2023. Trotz, who had been the team’s head coach under Poile from 1998 to 2014, took over as the team’s GM following Poile’s retirement.
The Predators’ next game will be against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 26th following the NHL’s Olympic break.