Juuse Saros – Nashville Predators
Who knows what’s happening in Nashville. They literally cut Matt Duchene and traded Ryan Johansen away for salary cap relief. Then, they signed Ryan O’Reilly to a four-year deal and added Luke Schenn. Barry Trotz first year as GM has a strange direction. There were rumors that Yaroslav Askarov was made available if a team would be willing to give them a top-five pick. That seemed like a special situation with the draft in Nashville.
Now, the rumors are swirling that Juuse Saros could be had. It would probably cost a ton, but Saros might be the right superstar to target. He has a track record in the playoffs, and he’s younger than Hellebuyck. He’s 28 years old, and he has two years left on his contract at $5 million per season. That alone might be worth whatever the Predators ask for in a trade. If the Devils find the right extension, that would make it even better.
Fitzgerald also has a track record with the Predators. He traded a seventh-round pick to the Preds at this year’s draft so David Poile could make one last draft pick before he retired. Fitz was their first captain. There’s a history there.
There’s also a history of Fitzgerald targeting large goalies. Saros is the opposite of that. While he’s not short when compared to the average forward, 5’11 is incredibly short for a goalie. If that’s not a dealbreaker for Fitzgerald, he would be a very interesting target.