Short of some miraculous redemption years from some key veterans, there isn't a realistic pathway for the Nashville Predators to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026.
The Predators do have their one ace in the hole, and it's kind of familiar if you're a long-time fan of the franchise going back to the expansion year and further ahead to when Pekka Rinne ruled Smashville. That's great goaltending, and the Predators have Juuse Saros entering his first year of an 8-year contract that was signed in July 1 of 2024 and goes for a $7.740 million AAV.
With a salary cap that is expected to keep growing at a healthy rate after getting out of the Covid years, Saros' deal could end up looking like a steal once we get down the road a few years from now. But as of now, the Predators are banking on Saros returning to his Vezina Trophy caliber qualities that wins games when the rest of the team doesn't bring their best.
We unfortunately didn't see Saros put on the Superman cape very often last season, and instead Saros many times fell victim to the team around him. He wasn't on an elite level, but he also wasn't as bad as the stats suggest.
Juuse Saros enters Year 1 of his 8-Year deal with the Nashville Predators
General Manager Barry Trotz is catching a lot of smoke from the fanbase these days, and much of it is deserved I must admit. However, I actually like the more calculated and conservative approach Trotz has taken this offseason. A far cry from what he did in 2024 by landing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei and Scott Wedgewood in free agency.
Trotz has upgraded the defense around Saros, which is really logical if you're looking to build this thing back up from the ground up. First we have to realize that Trotz didn't have a lot of wiggle room this offseason, much of that due to his own faults.
Trotz wasn't going to have buyer's remorse for Stamkos, Marchessault and Skjei that fast even if he wanted to. They all have trade protection clauses, and they all have difficult contracts to move for different reasons. But let's try to stay focused on the future, not the past.
The Predators picked up Nicolas Hague and Nick Perbix this offseason. Blueline guys who should offer upgraded protection for Saros. A smart move by Trotz as his franchise goaltender enters Year 1 of his 8-year deal. And you moved on from Colton Sissons who was going to be a free agency casualty anyway, and an injured Jeremy Lauzon who hits like hell but hasn't shown enough in other areas.
Saros does have the abilities to put the Predators back into playoff contention. I'm not going to the length of being a deep playoff contender again, but certainly a playoff team if Saros puts together a year that he's capable of. Making those clutch saves when the defense breaks down, and also erasing those critical power plays when the Predators take the inevitable bad penalty.
What separates good goalies from the rare elite goalies is how they perform in these scenarios. When the team is not at their best, but the goalie pulls them through dire circumstances. Saros couldn't do that last season, but he has those skills to do that this season.
The major x-factor for Saros in 2025-26 is having a short memory. Last season was grueling on the entire team. Too many occasions Saros was looking good at first and then just fell apart in spurts. His confidence looked shaken, and he needs to get back that mentality of controlling what he can control between the pipes.
This is why that the most direct and realistic pathway for the Predators to be a playoff team in 2025-26, and also just get fans excited again, starts and ends with Saros. This team doesn't have that dynamic center to transform the offense into world beaters in putting goals on the board. They have Filip Forsberg, and really that's it.
Maybe someone new surfaces like Luke Evangelista or Joakim Kemell, or maybe Stamkos or Marchessault dig deep into the tank to have a vintage year. Again, this isn't very realistic, but sure it's possible I guess.
Saros having a bounce back year and pushing the Predators farther than many think they can go is actually not that far-fetched at all. I know that will get the segment of fans angry that want to tank again for the lottery, but we know Trotz isn't thinking that way. Nor should he.
And as we know, as cliche as it is, once you get into the playoffs anything magical can happen.
So while 2025-26 is likely going to be another playoff miss, Saros is your top wildcard to push the Predators to overperform. And to be on the record from a previous article, I have the Predators finishing around 20 points better than last season's points in the standings, but still missing the playoffs. Even if my prediction comes true, I still think Saros will be a major reason why the Predators improve significantly from last season's abomination.