After losing to the Vancouver Canucks in six games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Nashville Predators have begun yet another arduous offseason.
The Nucks eliminated Nashville’s hopes of making it to the second round for the sixth consecutive season by defeating the Predators 1-0 in Game 6 last Thursday and securing a date with the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference. This summer will bring with it some important decisions for the Predators, chief among them the future of goaltender Juuse Saros.
The 29-year-old has been the backbone of this team since Pekka Rinne retired, but as he’s entering the final season of his contract — and Nashville is at a bit of a crossroads between wanting to be a playoff contender and needing to retool — the future of the Finn is up in the air.
“According to two separate sources from two separate NHL clubs, Trotz is expected to, at the very least, take calls on Saros this summer,” wrote The Fourth Period over the weekend.
“If the Predators decide to move Saros, he will surely command a high return, even entering an expiring contract. With just over $18.5 million in salary cap space next season, the Predators would have the ability to add a big contract via trade if Saros and his $5 million cap hit are moved out.”
Saros will play out the final year of a four-year, $20 million contract in 2024-25 before becoming an unrestricted free agent next offseason. And he’s still a fantastic goaltender, there’s no doubt about that. He posted a 35-24-5 record with a 2.86 goals-against-average, .906 save percentage and three shutouts in 64 games for the Preds this season.
But a potential rebuild is on the horizon — and Yaroslav Askarov is ready for his NHL shot.
Yaroslav Askarov is waiting in the wings
The Predators did something that you rarely see in the first-round of NHL drafts: selected a goaltender. Nashville picked the Russian at No. 11 overall in 2020, and the 21-year-old has already gotten into three games with the big-league club.
That includes two contests in 2023-24, in which Askarov posted a sparkling 1.47 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. It’s a small sample size, but he was excellent with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals this season as well.
Askarov went 30-13-1 in the minors, posting a solid 2.39 GAA and .911 SV% in that span. He will almost certainly be making the jump to the NHL full-time next year, most likely as the backup.
But if Saros does end up getting moved, Askarov will certainly have an opportunity to step into the starting role. That’s especially true with current backup goalie Kevin Lankinen set to be a UFA this summer.
TFP’s David Pagnotta reported earlier this year that Saros will be looking for a similar contract to New York Islanders tendie Ilya Sorokin, who broke the bank to the tune of an eight-year, $66 million extension last July.
That’s a hefty price for the Predators to pay, especially if Trotz does commit to a re-tool next season and beyond.
“With the emergence of young netminder Yaroslav Askarov in the AHL, the Predators fielded trade inquiries earlier in the season before the team went on a rush for the playoffs and teams are expected to call about Saros’ services this summer,” wrote TFP.
It’ll be interesting to see which direction Barry Trotz and the front office goes this summer.
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