Goalie Deals Galore
It’s officially the dog days of the NHL offseason; after the Tavares dust settled, NHL boardrooms have gone relatively quiet. A handful of contracts have been signed recently, however, including some big-name goaltenders. Vegas re-signed 33-year old Marc-Andre Fleury to an eyebrow-raising 3 year, $7 million AAV deal. In Winnipeg, Kevin Cheveldayoff used his abacus to work out a 6 year, $6.167 million AAV contract for Vezina finalist Connor Hellebuyck. Finally, in spite of putting everything on hold until a decision is made re: Ryan Ellis, David Poile did manage to complete a 3 year, $1.5 million AAV contract for elite backup goaltender Juuse Saros.
The Juuse is Loose-y
In this episode, we spend a good amount of time breaking down what has made young Juuse Saros successful, and what challenges he may face in the future. His save percentage numbers are truly outstanding, but present an interesting (and perhaps worrying) trend. Is he Nashville’s future starter? How soon should the team begin that transition? Why on Earth does George call Scandinavia “Northwest Europe?” Tune in and find out!
Holding out on Hartman
At this past year’s trade deadline, the Nashville Predators dealt a first round pick and prospect Victor Ejdsell for Chicago’s Ryan Hartman. It’s a big return for the Blackhawks, but makes sense for a Nashville team that should be well-established in the Cup Contender conversation. Naturally, just how much sense it makes depends on how Hartman performs. While the young winger’s six points in 21 games is not exactly exceptional, his possession numbers were at least decent. All in all, though, the team will be hoping for more in the future. We discuss what steps Hartman, as well as the coaching staff, must take to make that happen.
As always, thank you very much for listening! Feel free to reach out to George Matarangas (@GeorgeM1019) or myself (@WadeM117) about anything at all! Especially if you want to make fun of George.
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