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Five Reachable Goals for the Revamped Nashville Predators in 2023-24

By Chad Minton

Cole Smith #36 of the Nashville Predators celebrates his empty-net goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period at the TD Garden on March 28, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Predators won 2-1.(Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
Cole Smith #36 of the Nashville Predators celebrates his empty-net goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period at the TD Garden on March 28, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Predators won 2-1.(Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Goal #3: Saros Finally Claims his First Vezina Trophy

It’s always been a matter of “when”, and not “if”, Juuse Saros will win a Vezina Trophy. In his two seasons of being the primary goaltender for the Nashville Predators after Pekka Rinne‘s retirement, he has been among the NHL’s elite goaltenders.

We’re in a golden age of elite goalies right now for the NHL. The question is, can the same goalies maintain consistency or will newcomers arise in the Vezina Trophy race in 2024?

This is why I have so much faith that Saros will eventually win a Vezina Trophy, and could very well be in 2024. He has shown he’s consistent and not a flash in the pan.

Saros should benefit from better goal support in this upcoming season, and if he can maintain the numbers he’s had the last two seasons, he’ll once again be in the Vezina Trophy conversation.

A big factor with this is how the team around him performs and if he can avoid taking too many losses or watch his save percentage plummet due to his team constantly taking bad penalties.

Over the last two seasons, Saros leads the NHL in saves with 3,862 and third in wins with 71, trailing Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin.

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