As the Nashville Predators start to take shape there’s no shortcut to learning something new. Assistant coach Dan Hinote has been on staff with Nashville since Sept. 10, 2020, and has seen firsthand what it was like to have a deep team on both sides of the puck.
He phoned into the Robby & Rexrode program on Thursday morning stating he’s been optimistic solely based on what he’s seen to this point.
“From a systematic standpoint, yeah, we’re a little bit behind these other teams that we’ve been playing because these teams have been together for a really long time. They don’t have to question the system and think out there so they’re a little bit quicker than we are right this second. When we’re on you can see flashes of what we’re going to be.”
While there may not be an expected number of games for the coaching staff to feel like the new system is running at full speed, Hinote thinks by game 20 this team could feel like the progress out on the ice will feel natural.
Returning players and new skaters are all riding on the same wave in terms of learning a new system. As a new regime plants its feet into the franchise it’s undoubtedly not a realistic expectation to have everything running at 110% full speed right out of the gates.
“You can’t bring in the kind of leadership we brought in and everything just fit right into the puzzle,” Hinote said. “People have to figure out where they fit into the new puzzle and we added some big pieces to this puzzle.
“We’re only four games in and it feels like we’re already at that 20-game mark because we have all these things going on. When you do see us playing at full speed without thinking and reacting we’re a really good team.”
Hinote and head coach Andrew Brunette were teammates with the Colorado Avalanche back in 2005. As for Hinote’s new colleague, he recalls how as a player Bruntte’s attributes as a professional have also surfaced while he’s teaching players now.
“We’re very well connected with our management group because Barry Trotz has been a coach so he gets our process and what we’re looking at and that’s a huge advantage for us,” Hinote said. “Watching [Brunette] grow as a human and as a coach now as his former teammate It’s really impressive.
“His brain doesn’t work like everyone else’s. When he talks you have to listen because something is going to come out that you haven’t thought of. I can’t even fathom what goes through his head so I have to listen, write things down, I have to pay attention because every time he talks something comes out that you’re going to learn.”
As an example, Hinote said he was talking shop with Brunette and talked about “player X” as he put it.
“I have certain values that I value as a coach in players. The player we were talking about didn’t necessarily have those characteristics that I personally prefer in a player,” Hinote said. “[Brunette] talked about how few players in the league are able to see the play and make the play. The players that I was talking about there are a lot of those players in the NHL.
“When you’re weighing and measuring player X versus player Y and player Y makes plays that makes him a little rarer and harder to find and therefore more valuable to a team than player X.”
Then when taking a look at Nashville’s “Kid line” as Brunette has said before, it’s still a trio-producing chances, however, it’s a microcosm of how this team looks right now.
“They’ve kind of gone how the team has gone,” Hinote said. “You see flashes of what they can provide. The teams we’ve played have been upper echelon. For them to cut their teeth this early in the season against that kind of talent is great for them because there’s lots to learn.”
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