Top 5 bargain contracts Nashville Predators have in 2024 offseason
By Chad Minton
#1: Juuse Saros, 1 year left at $5 million AAV
This isn't just the best bargain contracts on the Predators, but one of the best team-friendly deals in the entire NHL. Even in a somewhat down year for Saros in 2023-24, he still vastly outperforms the money he's making of $5 million.
Which makes it all the more critical for Trotz to figure out quickly this offseason what he is going to do with the franchise goalie. Sign him to a sizeable pay raise and likely long-term, or make a blockbuster trade and hopefully bring in a couple impact forwards.
Both decisions brings their own set of pros and cons. His $5 million cap hit for 2024-25 makes him so valuable to possible trade partners who are goalie starved. A team that feels they're on the cusp of being a legit contender for the Stanley Cup, but need that goalie as the final piece.
When you look a the highest-paid goalies for 2024-25, Carey Price has the highest cap hit at $10.5 million. Saros is all the way down at No.16 and is the first goalie of the top-16 that doesn't have some sort of No Trade Clause or No Move Clause.
It is really unfortunate that the Predators weren't able to bank on Saros making such little money and finding more offensive support around him in these last three seasons that Saros has been the full-time starter following Pekka Rinne.
Now time is quickly running out and Saros will likely command top-5 goalie money in the range of $7 million-plus, unless Saros really is committed to Nashville long-term and choses less per-year money for more years.
At least for one more season with the Predators, if he's not traded, Saros will continue to be one of the best bargain contracts in the entire NHL. The 2025 trade deadline will be the last chance the Predators have to trade him before he hits unrestricted free agency next offseason.
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