#6: Juuse Saros
I can't believe I'm actually ranking a goalie of Saros' magnitude behind five other players, but hear me out. This league has been changing into a league that rewards high-octane offense. Save percentages across the NHL were down, and no longer is it feasible for most teams to just hitch their wagon to a goalie that can't be beaten and just hope that two or three goals are enough. The Predators are Exhibit A of that.
Look, Saros is obviously still vital to this team bouncing back next year. He wasn't a superhero goalie by any stretch, but he also had horrible luck when getting goal support. He still showed the same streaky tendencies, and he starts Year 1 of a 8-year deal this upcoming season. He's sticking around, and it's on Barry Trotz to build a team in front of him that can, you know, actually score.
I leave Saros at No.6 and ahead of a few impact skaters because he's still the workhorse goalie and I'm not entirely convinced that Justus Annunen is going to be the trustworthy backup when it's all said and done.
If Saros can return to his career averages of a save percentage around .915, then over the course of a season that can be the difference in 10-plus points in the standing for the Predators. Not enough to close the gap this season, of course. They ultimately always needed more consistent goal scoring this past season. Which is why I rank Saros only at No.5.