Colorado Avalanche president Joe Sakic will go back to holding general manager duties for “the foreseeable future” after Chris MacFarland joined the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment vice chairman Josh Kroenke said Sakic will serve as the team’s general manager through this month’s NHL draft and into the start of the league year.
“We would like to thank Chris for all he did for the Avalanche organization. Chris was instrumental in our success over the last decade and a key part of our 2022 Stanley Cup championship,” Kroenke said. “This was an opportunity for him to take on a bigger role with the Predators while being closer to his family. We wish him and his family all the best in Nashville.
“(Avalanche President) Joe Sakic will resume the General Manager duties for the foreseeable future, including through this month’s draft and the start of the league year. In Joe’s previous stint as GM, he helped build the current roster and led us to the 2022 Stanley Cup. We are confident in Joe’s leadership and that we will continue to build upon our recent success as we seek to bring another Cup back to Colorado.”
In Nashville, MacFarland replaces general manager Barry Trotz, who announced earlier this year he was stepping aside after three seasons in the role.
“We could not be more pleased that Chris has elected to join the Predators organization and lead our hockey operations group,” Predators majority owner Bill Haslam said. “We conducted an exhaustive search and were able to meet with several very qualified and impressive candidates, but all along, we were hopeful to interview Chris. He turned out to be a perfect fit for us – just what we were looking for to lead our organization moving forward.
“I’d like to thank the Colorado Avalanche, the Kroenke family and Joe Sakic for giving Chris permission to talk with us and for supporting his desire to make this move. I’d also like to thank the members of our search committee, those who expressed interest in joining the Predators in this role, and especially Barry Trotz for his work in positioning Chris for success. We appreciate everyone’s time and effort in this endeavor.”
MacFarland began his NHL front office career in 2000-01 with the Columbus Blue Jackets as director of hockey operations, spending 14 seasons with the organization, including eight as assistant general manager.
He moved to the Avalanche in 2015, taking the role of assistant GM and was a part of the team winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. He was elevated to GM in July of 2022 as Joe Sakic moved to president of hockey operations.
In four seasons with MacFarland at the helm, the Avalanche have made the playoffs all four years, reaching the Western Conference Final this season before being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sakic served as general manager of the Avalanche from 2013 until he was promoted in 2022.
