Chris MacFarland Hopes Wood and Bourque Can Lead Nashville Into the Future

Nashville Predators general manager Chris MacFarland joined 102.5 The Game Nashville before the team kicks off its 2026-27 regular season and praised two young centers on the roster, Matthew Wood and Mavrik Bourque.

Nashville enters the season with two young centers on the roster, Matthew Wood and Mavrik Bourque, both of whom MacFarland praised on the radio show.

“Matt and his development is really important for the Preds, not only this year, but in the years to come,” MacFarland said about the 21-year-old Matthew Wood.

Wood tallied 17 goals and 13 assists for Nashville during the 2025-26 season. He looks to play a bigger role this season after Luke Evangelista's departure.

“He was committed this summer to doing a lot of good, solid work,” MacFarland said about Wood. “The regular season is when you hopefully see that payoff, but he’s going to get every opportunity to show where he fits.”

MacFarland also noted the progress Mavrik Bourque has made ahead of his first season with Nashville.

“I think he is exactly what we thought he would be,” MacFarland said about Bourque. “He’s a smart, heady, two-way hockey player that can fill in a lot of different roles, whether it’s in the middle of the ice or on the wing,”

MacFarland traded for Bourque, 24, on July 1, and he has already shown he can be trusted in a variety of situations on the ice.

“I think he’s a guy that our coaches can kind of use in any game situation,” MacFarland said about Bourque. “If he can handle a middle-ice role, then obviously that would be really exciting, but I think regardless, we got a good hockey player there that’s going to hopefully help us for the short and long term.”

Wood and Bourque will man the second- and third-line center roles in Nashville’s lineup for Thursday’s season-opener against the Minnesota Wild as each looks to take the next step in their careers.

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google