Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette joined the team again on Thursday after missing two matches for a personal issue.
51 -year -old Esmer, Thursday Night Salt Lake City Utah Hockey Club against the counter will return to the back of the bench made a statement.
“I would like to thank the ownership for allowing me to spend time with my family and (General Manager) Barry Trotz and thank all our coaching staff to guide our team in my absence.” He said. “My family and I sincerely appreciate the support of everyone, players and fans in our organization.”
Brunette, “his father experienced an event that requires urgent medical assistance” then left the team to return to the local Ontario, he said.
In his absence, the Todd Richards assistant coached Predators in two home matches: on Sunday, 2-1 defeat to Montreal and 7-6 overtime against New York Islanders on Tuesday.
The Predators (28-42-8, 64 points) will miss the playoffs with the third record in the Western Conference. Four matches remained in the normal season, including the competition on Thursday.
Nashville was 47-30-5 as the head coach in 2023-24 in Brunette’s first season, and in the first round of Stanley Cup playoffs, Vancouver lost to Canucks in six matches.
-FELD level media
