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Why Predators must trade Juuse Saros before no-move clause begins

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Tristin McKinstry | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 9:36 PM ET

The Nashville Predators signed Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract extension in NHL Free Agency. This move was a massive decision that had a legitimate trickle-down effect, as well. Nashville also had top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov at the time. The Saros signing led to Askarov requesting trade from the Predators, which he was granted.

The Predators traded Askarov to the San Jose Sharks before the season began. Nashville expected to be in a playoff spot this season. In fact, they likely expected to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Choosing the established star goalie in Saros made sense at the time. However, the team has fallen well short of expectations this season.

Entering the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Predators are near the bottom of the NHL. Nashville has a record of 19-28-7 this year, good for just 45 points. Only two teams have fewer points than Nashville — the Chicago Blackhawks and the Sharks.

NHL Free Agency can often be a double-edged sword. It can help a team add the final piece to a championship puzzle. Or it can blow up in a team’s face so badly that it oftentimes takes years to fully recover.

This brings us back to Saros. Nashville is in between a rock and a hard place leading into the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. The Predators are near the bottom of the league and have a need for draft capital. However, they have little in the way of tradeable assets. Saros, though, could net them a massive haul. And it would be wise for the Predators to trade him while they still can.

Predators benefit more from rebuild than having Juuse Saros

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at the United Center. Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

It is certainly a bad look for Nashville to trade Juuse Saros one year after picking him over their hotshot goaltending prospect. This is not lost on fans, and it is certainly not lost on the Predators. However, at this juncture, it seems as if that may be the best course of action.

This is a team that swung and missed on a massive free agency haul. Stars such as Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault joined the Predators to compete for a Stanley Cup. But it is not going to happen any time soon. Nashville has an aging core on the decline. And there are no top prospects on the way to salvage the operation.

As a result, they need to trade what they can to try and build for the future. A Saros trade is certainly complicated; there’s no questioning this. He is about to enter his 30s and will be locked into an eight-year contract starting on July 1. Interested teams are going to balk at this, even if his $7.74 million cap hit for 2025-26 and beyond should age well enough.

However, the Predators are not going to have a better opportunity to make this trade. Nashville gave their star netminder a full no-movement clause for all eight seasons, according to PuckPedia. He also has a modified no-trade clause in the last two seasons of the deal.

Moreover, Saros is not the goalie he used to be. At least, he hasn’t performed to his usual standards. From 2021-22 to 2022-23, he combined for 50.83 Goals Saved Above Average and 58.09 Goals Saved Above Expected, via Evolving Hockey. This places him fourth in the NHL in GSAA and third in GSAx.

However, his totals from 2023-24 and 2024-25 are night and day. He has combined for -0.29 GSAA and 3.97 GSAx to this point. These totals have him ranked 53rd in GSAA and 50th in GSAx.

These are alarming numbers, but his dominance before 2023-24 can give interested teams hope for a bounceback in a better situation. In saying this, those teams cannot have that same confidence if he sticks in Nashville while things don’t improve.

The Predators need to hit the reset button in a major way. And at this point, Saros is more of a luxury than a benefit to the team. Contending teams are always in pursuit of an elite goalie. Nashville needs to take advantage of this and trade him. Whether that happens at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline or in the summer is up to them.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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