Who has the guts to swing big for Predators goaltender Juuse Saros?

With all due respect to Mike Dunham and Chris Mason, the Nashville Predators have only really needed three goaltenders during their 25-year history.

Tomas Vokoun took over from Dunham early in the team’s run, posting a .913 SV% over eight seasons in the Music City. After the Preds shipped Vokoun to Florida, his presumptive heir Dan Ellis lost the cage to a 26-year-old former eighth-round pick named Pekka Rinne. The towering Finn went on to earn 369 wins and a statue outside of Bridgestone Arena. When Rinne passed the baton to countryman and longtime understudy Juuse Saros before his retirement in 2021, the latter appeared on Vezina ballots after his first three seasons as a starter.

25 years, three goalies. How different would recent history be for the Philadelphia Flyers or Toronto Maple Leafs with that consistency in the crease? The number might expand to four next season.

The Preds and GM Barry Trotz have their next man up in Yaroslav Askarov, the 11th-overall pick David Poile selected in 2020 before Saros’s emergence. With the 21-year-old Russian waiting in the wings after a solid AHL debut (.911 SV% in 48 GP), Trotz doesn’t have to pay Saros before his bargain contract ($5 million AAV) expires next summer. In a transitional period after having parted ways with star veterans like Ryan McDonagh, Matt Duchene, and Mattias Ekholm over the past two seasons, it would make sense to cash in on the shot-stopper’s immense value now.

The problem will be finding a dance partner. Goaltenders of Saros’ caliber rarely become available on the trade market. The NHL’s leader in appearances, shots faced, and saves over the past three seasons, ‘Juice’ is an absolute workhorse. His numbers in 2023-24 (2.86 GAA, .906 SV%) were pedestrian by his lofty standards, but the second-half heater that carried Nashville into the postseason coincided with a turnaround from Saros (2.51 GAA, .913 SV% after Feb. 16). Why wouldn’t the bevy of teams that blamed goaltending for their shortcomings last season line up for his services? With a surprising amount of viable alternatives on the market, they might lack the guts to shop from the top shelf.

Linus Ullmark, who won the 2023 Vezina Trophy for the Boston Bruins, isn’t exactly a consolation prize. Daily Faceoff lead hockey insider Frank Seravalli had Ullmark at No.2 in his first trade targets board of the offseason, four spots ahead of Saros. Ullmark’s dominant 2022-23 season was an outlier (40-6-1, 1.89 GAA, .938 SV%), but he has been consistently excellent throughout his career, posting a .918 SV% over 238 starts. Jeremy Swayman has taken his job as the 1A goaltender in Boston, and the B’s have too many holes to keep him on as the league’s best backup. That’s the worst-kept secret in the NHL, and it could drive Ullmark’s price down.

Jacob Markstrom did not have his best statistical season for the Calgary Flames (2.78 GAA, .905 SV%), but passed the eye test for a team that limped to a 7-13 record after a trade deadline selloff. Without Markstrom, the Flames would pick even higher than No. 9 in the upcoming draft, and they aren’t even tanking (or so they say). That doesn’t mean they want to pay a 34-year-old $6 million for another two seasons. Markstrom might waive his trade protection to join a readymade contender like the Leafs or the New Jersey Devils. He reportedly agreed to join the latter at the deadline before a deal collapsed at the 11th hour, and his total control over his destination means he won’t command a Saros-level return.

Cam Talbot is hitting free agency after an All-Star season with the L.A. Kings (2.50 GAA, .913 SV%), who are looking to get younger and better at the position. The 36-year-old will likely hit the open market and can still plug a hole for 40+ games.

Filip Gustavsson had a disappointing season (3.06 GAA, .899 SV%), but the strength of his 2022-23 campaign (.931 SV% in 39 GP) will attract suitors. With Marc-Andre Fleury back for another season in the Twin Cities and all-world prospect Jesper Wallstedt ready to debut, the ‘Gus Bus’ is on the trade block.

Anthony Stolarz (2.03 GAA, .925 SV% in 27 GP) of the Florida Panthers and Laurent Brossoit (2.00 GAA, .923 SV% in 23 GP) of the Winnipeg Jets were excellent behind superstars Sergei Bobrovsky and Connor Hellebuyck, respectively, and are ready for increased workloads as free agents.

Any of those guys would have gotten the Devils into the playoffs in a soft Metropolitan Division. Markstrom might have improved the odds of Toronto, L.A., or the Carolina Hurricanes in their playoff defeats. On his A-game, Ullmark could have been a series stealer for one of those clubs. Why should anyone pay for Saros with cheaper solutions out there? Because he’s better than them, plain and simple.

Where Saros has dragged along a Predators roster that sheds top contributors every season, Ullmark has split time behind the NHL’s best team since his arrival in Boston. The 30-year-old’s 2022-23 season was historically good, but Saros saved .919% of shots while facing over 700 more of them that season. Could Ullmark have thrived in 60+ appearances for a bubble team? He has never played more than 49 games in a regular season, and there is no evidence he can hold it together for the 20+ consecutive starts needed to win the Cup. Saros, on the other hand, is at his best playing night in and night out.

Markstrom is a horse like Saros, but hasn’t produced consistent year-to-year results and is five years his senior. The former Canuck followed up top-four Vezina finishes in 2019 and 2022 by leading the league in regulation losses and finishing with a .894 SV%, respectively. The good Markstrom was back in 2023-24, but for how long? If he hits another low ebb in Year 13, there’s no guarantee he’ll turn it around again given his age. ‘Marky’ could excel against the low volume the Canes and Kings face, but will either team trust another aging netminder after seeing Frederik Andersen (.895 postseason SV%) and Talbot, respectively, falter in the clutch?

Talbot and Gustavsson have shown the ability to do well in a platoon. Brossoit and Stolarz deserve more game time after paying their dues as backups for years. All four could stabilize a middling team’s goal (the Red Wings and Senators come to mind), but trusting a spot starter to step up is hardly a sure thing. Just ask Ken Holland, who has lived to regret assuming Jack Campbell could cope with the starter’s crease. The premium Saros would cost is as much for his stability as his talent.

Maybe one of the bets against Saros works out. Maybe they all do. It’s entirely possible that Markstrom takes New Jersey to the next level; that Ullmark gets the Hurricanes over the hump; that Brossoit excels in increased usage for the Maple Leafs beside Joseph Woll. If any of those teams find themselves in the same place next summer, wishing they invested more in goaltending, they’ll know their guy was out there. They’ll just wish they’d had the moxie to go and get him.

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Who has the guts to swing big for Predators goaltender Juuse Saros?

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