Hynes Set to Continue Building, Improving Preds with New Contract in Hand

David Poile made his feelings about his bench boss and the rest of the Predators coaching staff crystal clear - and he rewarded them accordingly.
Nashville's general manager announced new, two-year extensions for Head Coach John Hynes and the rest of the staff - including Assistant Coaches Todd Richards, Dan Hinote and Dan Lambert - during the team's season-ending press conference Thursday morning.
The moves come after the Preds recorded a 45-win season that saw numerous players - including Roman Josi, Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg and Juuse Saros - post the best campaigns of their careers.
Hynes and his staff had plenty to do with that success, and as Poile outlined his plan for the 2022 offseason and beyond, he reiterated his stance that Hynes is the right person for the job.

"I believe John has done an excellent job for us taking over as head coach and leading us into the postseason each of the three years he has been here," Poile said. "[He's helped] some of our veteran players to play the best years that they've ever had while creating an environment where our younger players can grow and develop. Our coaches have helped us find an identity to play a hard-working style, and our power play improved to the best it has ever been. I believe John and his coaching staff are the right group to lead us back to contention, and I will do everything in my power to give him the necessary tools to accomplish that goal."
The votes of confidence were certainly appreciated by the 47-year-old Hynes who finally completed his first 82-game season in Nashville after he was hired in January of 2020. The past two-plus years have been anything but normal, and Hynes has been tasked with leading the Predators through all of those challenges while simultaneously dealing with everything else that comes with coaching a professional hockey team.
The body of work put forth by Hynes in that span is worthy of acknowledgement, and he can't wait to build on what he's started.
"It certainly feels good to have David's support, the ownership's support, the organization's support and our players' support is obviously really important, and it's encouraging," Hynes said. "We think we have a good, strong foundation and lots of things to look forward to. But now, when you have these situations where you've gotten an extension and you know you're going to be there, it's fun because now you're really digging into how we can get better this offseason and continue to grow this."
Hynes is also pleased the rest of his staff will be returning as well. They're a group that has become close over the past campaign and beyond while working as a cohesive unit to try to get the best out of their players and the team as a whole, and that will continue.

"Those guys are instrumental," Hynes said of his assistants. "I feel like to have an effective team and to be a good coach, you need a great support group. The experiences they have, the personalities, the way they work with the players and their work ethic in general has been exceptional. So, the fact that everyone's coming back was something I really wanted and talked with that through David. These guys want to be part of it, so it's nice that our group can come back together."
The offseason is in the infancy stages for the Predators, but the work has already begun for Hynes as he searches for answers to the questions that arise after an early postseason exit. That process, combined with the typical cadence of a summertime flow for NHL coaches, makes for a slew of anticipation for what's to come in September - but there's no rush, either.
"Right now, it's important for us to really look at how the players can individually improve, and what are some things we can do better as coaches that we're going to look into," Hynes said of the offseason outlook. "But I think the big part of it right now is how can we strengthen our team from internal players, external players, digging into the right fits and with the players that we think can come in and surround our core guys and make us a better team. And then from there, it gets into the Draft and then planning for training camp and making sure that when you come back to training camp, we feel that we've added players to our team that can help us win, but also having guys come back that have all gotten one or two percent better over the summer, and we're going to be better coming into the fall."
The ending wasn't what anyone around the Predators organization wanted, but in this line of work, looking back is necessary before moving forward. So, what will Hynes remember most about the 2021-22 season?
"I think one of the best parts this year really was the team," Hynes said. "I mean, they were a team in every sense of the word - the way that they worked, the relationship between the players and coaches, how they competed for each other and established an identity that they were proud of and gave us a chance to win night in and night out… The way that our veterans led, our young guys stepped up to the plate and we found a way to be able to get into the playoffs. Every person to a man - from the general manager to the coaches to the players - take the experiences at the end of the year that didn't go well, and we all know we've got to be better and stronger, but we can do it together."
That journey is already underway, and Hynes anticipates his team will have the capability to take another step in the right direction come October. His general manager certainly believes that to be the case, too.
"John deserves this," Poile said. "We're growing together. I'm responsible. I haven't given him enough to be winning. We weren't going to win in the playoffs this year against Colorado, and I wish we played somebody else. That's our fault. That's on our list to try to move up higher in the standings so we don't have to play the best team next year. But I think he's done a fantastic job, and his staff, and the results are right in front of all of us in terms of how we play, how hard we play, how all the individuals play. So, I am totally comfortable with John and our coaching staff to lead us to bigger and better things going forward."