Nashville Predators: Is Juuse Saros Capable of Being Elite?

The Nashville Predators have been blessed with Pekka Rinne over the last decade, but his time is almost over. Is Juuse Saros capable of becoming elite?

I still consider Juuse Saros as a prospect. He’s still growing and I don’t believe that he has reached his full potential. While Saros has seen some NHL time, it has mostly been against weaker teams or favorable match-ups. This upcoming season will likely see Saros against tougher competition and will give the organization a broader sense of his skills. The Nashville Predators need Saros to step up now more than ever.

Pekka Rinne has shown that he’s wildly inconsistent and isn’t worthy of the teams trust. Especially for a deep playoff push. If the Predators have any hope of making it to the Stanley Cup, it most likely rests on Saros’ shoulders.

Hopefully this is the year that Saros gets thirty or more starts. The more starts he gets means more experience while also allowing Rinne to not work too hard. The Predators should start to switch over from a number one goalie and back-up situation, to a one A and one B situation. As the years progress, Rinne will start to decline while Saros fulfills his potential and becomes the number one goalie the Predators desire. But what makes Saros capable of becoming the elite goaltender for the Predators ?

Saros is never out of position

Unlike current starter Pekka Rinne, Saros is a smaller goaltender at five feet, ten inches. Even though Saros is just as athletic as Rinne, it has pushed him in a different direction. Whereas you might see Rinne making multiple desperation saves, don’t expect Saros to do the same. Rinne can rely on his size to save him when he’s out of position, but Saros has no such luxury. Saros’ lack of size has pushed him towards becoming a more positional sound goalie and it shows. Saros moves around the crease with incredible ease and cuts off angles really well. He doesn’t challenge the shooter like most other goalies, but his positioning rarely leaves anything to shoot at. Saros may never make a top five save of the year. But his positioning will allow him to make hard saves look easy.

Fierce glove hand

His glove is fast like a whip and incredibly precise. Most goalies in the NHL have issues with their glove hand, most notably Corey Crawford and Braden Holtby. Studies show that more than fifty-five percent of shots are directed at a goalie’s glove hands. While this might pick on most goalies, Saros will have no problem with the shooters preference. Saros reads forwards extremely well which gives him a half-second advantage over a shooter. That half-second advantage is the difference between a routine glove save and a goal in the NHL. Saros’ glove hand will give the rest of the NHL nightmares over the next ten years.

Can Saros become elite?

One hundred per cent yes. Saros has the positioning and the IQ to make him a top five goalie in the NHL. He reminds me of Carey Price in a lot of his game, although not to the same degree. There are still areas where Saros can improve. Saros can leave the top of net open on occasion and his rebound control can be weak. But Saros has taken the steps to improve every aspect of his game over the last few years. And there is no reason that Saros cannot improve these aspects of his game as well.

Next: The Nashville Predators Prospect Pyramid

Expect Saros to make an impact in the NHL this season while playing thirty or so games. An above .923 save percent save percentage is not out of the question. Saros is the goalie to take the Predators all the way.