The Nashville Predators missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs with just 68 points. After an offseason of spending on Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, they posted the third-worst record in the league. Despite this brutal season on his record, Predators GM Barry Trotz is keeping Andrew Brunette as the head coach.

“We could have done the easy thing and make a change and see if we get a bump. Andrew is going to work hard to find the solution,” Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey reported on Monday.

The legendary Predators head coach is now the general manager and is off to a rough start. Trotz came in and started spending immediately, trying to take advantage of their playoff appearance last year. But they could never find the magic from last season as Juuse Saros's numbers declined dramatically.

Brunette was hired by the Predators before last season and had a solid season. They won 47 games and made the playoffs despite having low expectations. But that season was buoyed by a massive winning streak. If not for an 18-game point streak from February 17 to March 26, they would not have made the dance.

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That luck turned around this year, starting the season 0-5 and going 0-5-3 over a stretch in November. They also had two more 0-6-0 streaks during the year. The Predators are too streaky, in both directions, to be competitive. Whether that comes down to coaching, goaltending, or a combination of both, they need to figure that out.

The Predators could have been the ninth team to fire their coach this offseason. Trotz then could have made a run at Mike Sullivan, who led the Penguins to two Stanley Cups. But with him already with the Rangers, he stuck with Brunette.

It could be a big day for the Predators, as they have an 11.5% chance of winning the Draft Lottery, which is determined on Monday.