Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette isn’t too happy with some of his team’s veteran players.

Speaking to reporters following Thursday’s 4-1 home ice loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the second-year bench boss lamented the performance of some of his squad’s more experienced players, with the latest loss marking the fourth-straight game in which the Predators have failed to find the win column, a stretch in which the team has combined for three total goals.

“It’s challenging. We have a lot of guys who haven’t been in this situation, with our veteran guys for a while,” Brunette told reporters. “Mentally, it’s a drain. It’s hard. But they’re going to be here a long time. They have a long time on their contracts. They have to be our leaders and they have to set an example going a certain way so our young guys see that. We never want to be here again but, when we are here, we have to handle ourselves with a little bit more professionalism than we are right now.

“The expectations [coming into the season] were so big. The finish line is around the corner, and it’s hard. I feel for the players. It’s not a fun time here to be playing when you have nothing to play for. You can kind of get up for a few games, but it’s really hard, especially when you haven’t done it for a while. In saying that, that’s not an excuse to not find a little bit of energy, especially at home, to finish things off.”

As Brunette noted, there was much intrigue surrounding the Predators entering the 2024-25 campaign following a busy offseason that saw second-year general manager Barry Trotz commit to several big-ticket deals in free agency, including a four-year, $32-million agreement with Steven Stamkos, five years and more than $27 million for fellow forward Jonathan Marchessault, plus a seven-year, $49-million pact for defenseman Brady Skjei.

On the season, the Predators sit 25-38-8 and are on pace to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for just the second time in the past 11 seasons.