Predators’ Juuse Saros day-to-day with lower-body injury
Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette revealed to the media on Wednesday that goaltender Juuse Saros is currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Juuse Saros officially day to day with a lower body injury.
Brunette says they have not made decision on a starter for Predators opener vs Stars on Thursday.
While the cause of Saros’ injury is unknown at this time, it doesn’t appear to have occurred during game action. He used Tuesday’s practice as a maintenance day after the team had a day off on Monday, but did take the ice for Wednesday’s practice.
Brunette also mentioned that they have yet to make a decision on the starter for the Preds’ season opener on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. Nashville has recalled goaltender Matt Murray to possibly serve as the backup to Scott Wedgewood should Saros not be available for the game.
Saros played in parts of two preseason games for the Predators, stopping all 26 shots he faced and finishing with a 1.93 GSAx.
It’s not the start to the season that Saros would have hoped for, as he was looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, at least by his standards. In 64 games for the Preds, he had a 35-24-5 record, a .906% save%, 3 shutouts and 7.51 goals saved above expected.
Saros also had a 2-4-0 record, a .900% save% and 2.23 GSAx in six playoff games as the Preds were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Vancouver Canucks.
Saros was a fourth-round pick by the Predators in the 2013 NHL Draft, and after spending a couple of seasons in SM-liiga with HPK Hameenlinna, he made his NHL debut in the 2015-16 season. He then cemented himself as the backup goaltender the following season, spending five seasons in that role or a 1A/1B tandem alongside Pekka Rinne before taking over the starter role in the 2021-22 season after Rinne’s retirement.
Saros is in the final year of his four-year contract with a $5 million cap hit, but will not be hitting free agency as he signed an eight-year extension with a $7.74 million cap hit on July 1st.
The Predators will look to start off their season on the right foot after making some big offseason additions when they host the Stars on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST.