The thought of Juuse Saros leaving the Predators is the ominous black cloud that just won’t seem to dissipate over the Smashville skyline.
The idea seems asinine. After all, this is arguably one of the five best goaltenders in the world right we’re talking about, someone who just led one of the worst statistical teams in the NHL within a game of an improbable playoff berth. Saros is exactly the goaltender franchises would kill to have, and the kind that some elite teams spend years struggling to find. Why would the Nashville Predators ship a player like him out of town?
And yet, trade chatter surrounding Saros keeps popping up, and it’s enough to question whether there’s some fire behind that smoke.
The latest updates came via The Fourth Period and NHL Network’s David Pagnotta, who revealed the Preds and Los Angeles Kings had discussed a trade for Saros prior to the deadline before the Kings acquired Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov from the Columbus Blue Jackets instead. Elliotte Friedman confirmed those reports on his latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, adding that it would take a big offer, but that the Preds would “at least consider” moving Saros if the right deal came along.
This is a somewhat significant update because it’s the first we’ve heard of the Predators actually engaging in talks surrounding Saros. Up to this point, a lot of the talk had been more regarding the theory of a trade — i.e. “should/will the Predators consider trading Juuse Saros?” But the latest news from Pagnotta and Friedman adds some meat to the idea of a trade beyond the “what if?”
So what does all of this mean for the future of the Predators’ goaltender?
First, we should look at this with the standard grain of salt that comes with any trade rumor. Pagnotta and Friedman are both well-respected reporters, but reporting on trade talks is vague by nature. For instance, “discussed a trade” could mean anything from the Kings and Preds actually putting together the framework of a deal to a short conversation like this:
“Hey David Poile, what would it take to trade for Juuse Saros?”
“Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, and two first round picks.”
“Hmm yeah, that’s too pricey for us. Thanks anyway!”
Second, there’s a difference between listening to trade offers and actively shopping a player. In Saros’s case, it would be shocking if this was anything more than the former. The Predators aren’t naive when it comes to their goaltending situation; Barry Trotz himself said Saros was a primary reason the Preds didn’t have a top five pick this year. And as the Predators begin to transition the roster into the hands of their younger, still-developing players, having someone like Saros behind them to erase mistakes not only helps build their confidence, but it can also open the team’s window of contendership much sooner than average-level goaltending.
There’s also the matter of the Predators’ current goaltending situation to consider. In a perfect world, the Preds would likely prefer to give Yaroslav Askarov another full season as the Milwaukee Admirals full-time starter as opposed to a backup behind Saros or Kevin Lankinen. That would leave Saros as the best option in net for at least another year.
But Trotz still needs to do his due diligence. There may be a team out there who believe they’re a Juuse Saros-type goaltender away from a Cup run, and they may be willing to pay a (Los Angeles) Kings’ Ransom in order to get him. At that point, the potential return may be too great for Trotz to turn down.
It’s likely that package will need to include, at a minimum, a young, top-line quality forward with NHL experience under his belt; someone who can develop into that elusive game-changing scorer Trotz has stated the Preds need to find. That deal will also likely need to include another top prospect and one, maybe two high draft picks. It’s a steep price, but if a team is willing to pay it, the Predators could wind up with game-changing building blocks. And if no teams want to pay it, well, the fallback plan is to keep one of the best goalies in the NHL on the roster… not the worst thing in the world.
At the end of the day, there’s no pressure on the Predators to force a deal. Saros is under contract for two more years with a relatively cheap AAV, so there’s no time crunch. The onus will be on the other team to make an offer that sweeps the Predators off of their feet.
