Andrew Brunette Has Savage Response on Predators' Plans for Healthy Scratches

It's been a rough go of it in Nashville this season for the Predators. The team has now gone winless in its last seven matches, sinking to the very bottom of the overall NHL standings.

Head coach Andrew Brunette, in his second year with the team, probably came into the 2024-25 campaign pretty excited about the splashy offseason the front office had, bringing in free agent stars like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.

But to say that summer excitement hasn't translated to the regular season is an understatement.

The frustrated coach was asked about the idea of healthy scratching one of his high-profile players to send a message. His savage response was an indictment on the entire team.

Been a rough start for the Preds new-look lineup and Andrew Brunette has an idea for his roster… 😳

(via @AlexDaugherty1) pic.twitter.com/F9UGUNX0kJ
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 10, 2024

"We could scratch every guy in our lineup. But unfortunately, we need players going. At different times, it for sure crosses your mind. But they have to earn it, you can't just do it to do it," said Brunette, via Alex Daughtery.

Stamkos and Marchessault each have just 13 points in their first 28 games, while the team overall is last in the NHL in goals per game with 2.18.

"Unfortunately, like I said, I could scratch every guy on the team. Is there going to come a time? There might. But saying that, everyone wants to be held accountable. But they don't like it when they're held accountable. That's where it gets tricky," added the bench boss.

Tommy Novak, Luke Evangelista and Michael McCarron have been among the healthy scratches thus far this season, as well as Dante Fabbro, who was waived and claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets a month ago. But will one of the big names be next?

Brunette, who guided the Preds to a solid 47-30-5 record last season for 99 points, is this year suffering through a 7-15-6 mark, tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the fewest points in the league, with 20.