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Juuse Saros landing spots: 5 realistic trade destinations for Predators goaltender
Juuse Saros has played nine seasons with the Nashville Predators and has a year and a half left on a four-year contract he signed in 2021. As a former Vezina Trophy finalist in 2022, he's had a subpar year with a 21-21-2 record, a career-worst save percentage of .902, and goals against average of 3.02.
Since the emergence of Kevin Lankinen as a possible replacement for the long-time Predators' netminder, there are rumors that general manager Barry Trotz is fielding calls on Saros.
After 330 games in Nashville with a 168-116-29 record, Saros might be on the move and could go to another contending team that would value his workhorse mentality.
5 best landing spots for Predatos' Juuse Saros
#1. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils were projected to take a step forward this season after losing in the second round of the NHL playoffs last year. Despite a hot start, injuries to star players like Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton destroyed the team's momentum.
Today, they are fighting to stay in the Eastern Conference wild card race, and their netminders, Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws, and Akira Schmid, haven't done a good enough job to inspire confidence in their performances.
Collectively, they may be 28-23-24, but they give up 3.20 goals a game and have a subpar .894 SV%, leaving the fanbase begging management to acquire a proven netminder for the playoffs.
Only Vanecek and Schmid have skated in the postseason, with a combined 6-8 record, while Saros has seen the ice in 17 playoff games, earning a 3-7 record. Whether or not people feel he's an upgrade, he is a former Vezina Trophy finalist and has never had a year with a sub .914 SV% until 2023-24.
#2. Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are down to two goalies for the remainder of the regular season, 24-year-old Samuel Ersson and 29-year-old Calvin Petersen, who spent most of the season in the AHL.
Despite the solid job Ersson is doing between the pipes with a 15-10-4 record, leading them to a favorable spot in the Metropolitan Division, Petersen is the only one to skate (one game) in the playoffs.
Although it appears the Flyers are ahead of schedule regarding their rebuild, acquiring Saros would bring a bonafide number-one goalie back to Philadelphia, which the franchise has been looking for since Ron Hextall left 25 years ago.
#3. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since the league expanded in 1967. Right now, they are being led by Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones. Both netminders don't have a contract past this season, making them expandable for a long-term solution.
Of course, the Maple Leafs thought it was Samsonov, but he was demoted to the minors earlier this year and only just began to play at the level expected after winning his arbitration case in the summer of 2023.
Meanwhile, Jones was pressed into action because of an injury to Joseph Woll, who played great while Samsonov stumbled. Now, the crease may be crowded if/when Woll returns, but he's the only one still under contract after the 2023-24 season.
If Toronto went out and acquired Saros, he'd form a lethal duo with whoever remains for the playoff drive and could share the crease with Woll next season. Together, they could rotate starts like the Boston Bruins do with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
#4. Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings haven't needed a goalie in over a decade, employing future Hall of Famer Jonathan from 2008 to 2023. However, he's moved on, and the team had Pheonix Copley to rely on until he went down with a season-ending injury, leaving the job to Cam Talbot and Davie Rittich.
Just like the Maple Leafs, Copley is the only goalie under contract for 2024-25, meaning the Kings will be in the market for a goalie for next season and the future.
Talbot is 36, Rittich is 31, and Copley is 32, meaning these three netminders are not going to be the long-term solution in goal for a team that hopes to win another Stanley Cup before Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty retire.
At 28, Saros could be a long-term solution for the franchise and has a higher upside over the three goalies they currently employ. Even though it is challenging to move star players within the conference, there's always a way if there's a will.
#5. Edmonton Oilers
At the deadline in 2023, the Edmonton Oilers acquired one of the Predators' longest-tenured players, Mattias Ekholm. The Swedish defender immediately impacted the lineup, so why shouldn't the Oilers follow up to pick up his former teammate?
Of course, not many would support this move since Stuart Skinner has done an excellent job handling the starting duties. However, he was exposed in the playoffs last season and is on pace to play 60 games before the postseason even starts.
As most NHL teams try to roll with a combination of netminders, Edmonton has relied solely on Skinner to get them to the finish line. Whether he breaks down mentally or physically before the end of the year is yet to be determined.
Considering the Oilers are projected Stanley Cup champions, with the best odds in the NHL, having a solid goalie tandem could get this team to the top. Plus, with the duo of Saros and Skinner for at least one more season, they could repeat as champions without anyone worrying about who is guarding the crease.
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