Kevin Weekes was first to report Nashville's change behind the bench.
NEWARK, N.J. -- On May 31, the Nashville Predators introduced Andrew Brunette as their fourth head coach in franchise history. He served as the New Jersey Devils' associate coach last season.
Brunette became the Florida Panthers' interim head coach on October 29, 2021, replacing Joel Quenneville. He was announced as a Jack Adams Award finalist after leading his team to the Presidents' Trophy, losing to Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames. On June 22, 2022, the Panthers introduced Paul Maurice as their next head coach, opening the door for Brunette to take a position with New Jersey.
During his end-of-season media availability, Devils' general manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed Lindy Ruff would be back as his head coach, which led to reports that Brunette was interviewing for a head coach position with another organization.
At the time of Brunette's hiring, Fitzgerald spoke about Brunette's desire to work and learn from Ruff.
"I think part of the reason Andrew chose us was Lindy Ruff and how much Lindy wanted him on his staff and vice versa, how much he wants to learn from Ruff and all the experiences he has over his 20 years of head coaching," Fitzgerald said.
He will replace John Hynes, who was with the Predators organization since January 7, 2020. Ironically, Hynes served as the Devils' head coach from the 2015-16 to 2019-20 season, coaching 354 games.
Brunette played for the Predators during their inaugural 1998-99 season after being selected in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft by Nashville. He scored the first goal in Nashville's history on October 13th, 1998, versus the Carolina Hurricanes.