Nashville Predators: Juuse Saros inks three-year bargain deal
By Kyle Gray
Backup goaltender Juuse Saros signed a three-year, team-friendly contract with the Nashville Predators, worth $1.5 million per season.
The offseason has been rather quiet. That ended today as Nashville Predators news rolled in. After hearing that Ryan Hartman signed on for another year, we also learned that goaltender Juuse Saros inked a three-year contract.
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This is huge news for the Nashville Predators. While there wasn’t too much doubt in Saros signing, it’s nice to see a deal in place. What is significant is the length of the contract. Starting goalie, Pekka Rinne, has one year left on his contract, and with his age, who knows how much playing time he has left. The three-year contract for Saros provides overlap in goaltender contracts and gives the Predators some stability in net for seasons to come.
Future investment
If next year is indeed Pekka’s last, the Nashville Predators and their fans should have faith in the “Juice”. Last year, Juuse Saros was named to the NHL Rookie All-Star team. It was only the second time in Predators history that the honor was awarded. Filip Forsberg was the other, and he turned out alright. The young netminder played in 26 games last year. He finished with a 11-5-7 record, a .925 SV%, and a 2.45 GAA. In 48 career games, Saros boasts a 21-14-10 record, a .923 SV%, and a 2.42 GAA. During last year’s playoff run, the Forssa, Finland native strictly appeared in backup duty. The numbers were impressive, though, as he only allowed two goals on 42 shots (1.06 GAA and .952 SV%). Makes you wonder how the Predators would have fared had he started a couple of games.
Next: Hartman returns for one-year, $850k
With this signing, it sure looks like David Poile and the Nashville Predators are ready to hand over the reigns to Juuse Saros. Should Pekka Rinne leave after next season, the team is still in good hands. Saros has rarely finished a season above a 2.50 GAA. The contract is team friendly as well. It averages out to $1.5 million per year. Not bad for a future starting goaltender.