This may seem like an obvious choice, and it’s because you can never discount how critical steady goaltending is. Just look at the tailspin the Predators went through from November through January.
It wasn’t all on the goaltending when the Predators were getting mowed down, but they also didn’t see enough of those gems from the likes of Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne.
Need more proof? The Nashville Predators have always had moderately good fortunes at having solid goaltending. A big reason why they became a mainstay in the playoffs and elevated into a top-tier team is due to Rinne.
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But Rinne can’t remain the man forever, and now it’s time for Juuse Saros to take over. If Saros drastically falls off, then the Predators will suffer a major setback that will force them to scramble.
Saros struggled at the start of the season, and this brought up questions of if he’s really ready to take over for Rinne. Futhermore, Rinne was blazing out of the gate so the focus was taken off of Saros’ lackluster play early on.
But eventually Saros seized control and started stringing together several strong starts in a row to help surge the Predators into a playoff spot. If the Predators are fortunate enough to go from Rinne to Saros as their top goaltenders, then that means Saros can’t drop off into an ordinary backup goaltender.
The Predators are also in flux on the defensive side of things right now. Josi and Ellis are studs, but there are some concerns after that. Mattias Ekholm is a quality player, but he had a setback this season. Then you have the young Dante Fabbro, who the jury is still out on.
The point being is that the Predators really need Saros to seize control of the top spot between the pipes from Rinne and bring in the future of the position for the franchise.
The Predators don’t have that same stout defense to hide average goaltending. They need top-quality goaltending play, and Saros has to be the guy. It’s no longer on Rinne’s shoulders as presumably the backup for one more year.
There’s no argument to be made that Saros is the most important player on the Predators hierarchy if they’re going to keep making the playoffs and get that first Stanley Cup anytime soon.