Sources: Nashville Predators unlikely to trade goaltender Juuse Saros while in a playoff spot

Frank Seravalli
Frank Seravalli(frank_seravalli)
Juuse Saros for Caesars Sportsbook promo code 4.21
Credit: Juuse Saros (© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Trivia question: How many NHL goalies have been traded in-season this decade?

Answer: Four. It’s been one per season stretching back to 2020: Jonathan Quick (2023), Marc-Andre Fleury (2022), David Rittich (2021) and Robin Lehner (2020). The highest return a team achieved in those situations was Chicago, with the Blackhawks bringing back second-round picks for both Fleury and Lehner.

Hockey’s goaltending market has always been a bit odd. There is a big disparity between the importance of the position and the value that teams are willing to put on it, whether it’s in dollar value on the salary cap or on the trade market. So if we can expect one goaltender to move, who might that be and where? Let’s size up that market:

2024 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 10 days

We’re just over one week away from the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline, and we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one deadline-focused story each day leading up to the big one.

Teams on the Hunt

New Jersey Devils
Priority: High
Scoop: Since Tom Fitzgerald took over as GM in Jan. 2020, the Devils have finished an average of 23rd in save percentage, and this season they are on track to finish in the bottom two (31st) for the third time with an .883 mark. There are some holes in the defense with Dougie Hamilton out and Damon Severson and Ryan Graves gone from last season, but it’s fair to say that goaltending is a problem that hasn’t been solved. Only once, with Vitek Vanecek’s solid regular season last year, has New Jersey ended a year with a .900 or better save percentage. Both players and coach Lindy Ruff have been vocal about the need for more saves, which is an indication of the frustration that has built up. As such, the Devils have made calls on just about every goaltender – from the available (Jacob Markstrom, Jake Allen, John Gibson, Juuse Saros, Elvis Merzlikins) to even the unavailable (Tristan Jarry, Linus Ullmark) in an attempt to gauge the market. Will Fitzgerald pull the trigger?

Colorado Avalanche
Priority: Medium
Scoop: Last month, Avs GM Chris MacFarland said point blank on Frankly Speaking: “I’ll be honest with you, I think we’ve got to be careful with the games played thing here.” Since then, they’ve toned it down with Alexandar Georgiev, who with the benefit of the All-Star break and bye week, has made 11 starts out of 14 games. It’s still a lot, but the rest has helped – since those comments, Georgiev has had his second-best month of the season (.903). Colorado has also waived Ivan Prosvetov and given Justus Annunen a crack to see if he can be an internal solution to their backup problem. Annunen has been fine, but he’s young. The Avs know from their 2022 Stanley Cup run how critical a reliable No. 2 can be, as Pavel Francouz made four all-important playoff starts when Darcy Kuemper went down. Expect the Avs to acquire a backup netminder over the next 10 days.

Carolina Hurricanes
Priority: Low
Scoop: What a wild year for Carolina’s crease. They’ve used five goalies already. They’ve claimed Spencer Martin on waivers and also had to dip into the ECHL, since they have no AHL affiliate, to call upon Yaniv Perets. Antti Raanta missed time with injury and went to try and find his game in the AHL. Pyotr Kochetkov started the year off rocky, then righted the ship, and then went down with a concussion. Frederik Andersen is working his way back from a blood clotting issue and close to returning, but he’s been out since Nov. 2. That might mean he’ll be fresh for a playoff run, but the Canes won’t have time for a correction if their goaltending falters again. A lot of the analytical models favor the Canes (not the Panthers or Rangers) to come out of the East. Will they bet a Stanley Cup contending roster on 22nd ranked goaltending?

Los Angeles Kings
Priority: Low
Scoop: No team made a bolder bet on goaltending this year than the Kings. They committed a combined $2.5 million in cap dollars to their season-starting tandem of Cam Talbot and Pheonix Copley. It started well enough, the 36-year-old Talbot getting off to a 14-7-3 run with a .924 save percentage that earned him a Pacific Division nod at All-Star weekend. Well, Copley is out with a knee injury, replaced by David Rittich. And Talbot has turned into a pumpkin since the calendar turned to 2024. It took Talbot until last week to earn his first win in the calendar year; he is 2-6-2 with an .889 mark. Big Save Dave has kept LA’s season afloat with a 7-4-3 record and .911 save percentage since Jan. 1. That is one of the surprises of the season, but still can’t have Kings brass feeling great about it all.

Edmonton Oilers
Priority: Low
Scoop: This isn’t an old narrative. Fact: Stuart Skinner played at an absolutely elite level for a chunk of this season, allowing Edmonton to challenge an NHL record win streak (16 wins). From the time Kris Knoblauch was hired until the All-Star break, Skinner went 21-4-0, allowed just 50 goals in those 25 games, and posted a sterling .925 save percentage. The problem is, Edmonton’s goaltending is in the tank again since the All-Star break. Together, Skinner (.879) and Cal Pickard (.877) have struggled. And Skinner has played a ton – his 33 starts since Nov. 13 are tied for fifth most in the league, just three back of leader Georgiev, whom the Avs think is playing too much. The Oilers would need to waive and send down players in order to recall Jack Campbell from the AHL. Goaltending doesn’t figure to be too big on Edmonton’s priority list, but maybe it should be.

Trade Targets 🎯

Juuse Saros
Acquisition Cost: Super Premium
Scoop: All season long, there has been question as to whether Saros is actually available. GM Barry Trotz told us in November he was looking to sign the 28-year-old backbone of his franchise to an extension. Then reports surfaced that the Preds might have to consider a move. Well, at least one team has been very interested in Saros over the last couple weeks – believed to be the Devils – but Daily Faceoff sources indicated on Monday that the Preds have told teams that as long as they are in position to make the playoffs that Saros will not be traded. The usual caveats exist – that if the Preds suddenly fall out of the mix over the next nine days all bets are off, and well, never say never if there’s an offer they can refuse. It’s complicated with 2020 first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov sporting a .920 save percentage as AHL Milwaukee won 19 in a row. But the sense is Trotz feels like he owes it to his team to keep Saros. They have also won five straight and sit in the final Wildcard spot.

Jacob Markstrom
Acquisition Cost: Premium
Scoop: Can the Devils rekindle a deal with the Flames? They were close three-plus weeks ago, but it never got over the finish line. And while the Flames and Devils have kept lines of communication open, there is a gap to bridge (believed to revolve around money retained on Markstrom’s deal) and it’s unclear how that will happen. There isn’t thought to be a big market for Markstrom outside of New Jersey with two years remaining at $6 million, but that does not mean the Flames are in a rush to make something happen before March 8. If anything, with a weak goalie free agent class upcoming, their chances to get a big return for Markstrom open up in the summer. What is clear is that Markstrom, 34, wants a chance to win a Stanley Cup and he is unlikely to stand in Calgary’s way of a deal with his full ‘no-move’ clause as he realizes his chances to do that in Cowtown are unlikely on this contract. Is there any way the Flames can trade Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, but ride Markstrom into the postseason? That’s the definition of having your cake and eating it too.

Charlie Lindgren
Acquisition Cost: Premium
Scoop: The Washington Capitals aren’t in trade mode right now, scrapping to get just four points back of the Flyers with two games in-hand. So for the meantime, Nic Dowd and Anthony Mantha and the rest of the suspects on our Trade Targets board are not officially in the mix. One of those less talked about pieces is Lindgren, who has been tremendous this season with a .914 mark in 27 appearances. Teams are really interested in Lindgren, not just because of his play, but coupled with the fact that he is set to earn just $1.1 million next season against the cap. In an environment where some teams plan to spend less on goaltending than before, cutting out the middle class of goalie earners, Lindgren would be of significant value. He’s unlikely to move at this deadline, but not impossible, and definitely a name to keep an eye on this summer with an underwhelming free agent class.

Jake Allen
Acquisition Cost: Average
Scoop: Allen is intriguing to teams for a number of reasons. He has pedigree and experience, including playing the first 353 games of his NHL career at a .911 save percentage. He’s spent the last two seasons on a poor Canadiens team which has obviously influenced his play, and could probably use a change of scenery. Plus, the Habs have three goalies on the roster (Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau) and are likely motivated to free up their crease. Allen, 33, is also under contract next season and the Canadiens have one salary retention spot remaining this year and are believed to be willing to retain half to knock him down to $1.9 million – which is certainly palatable as either a backup or a netminder who is well-suited to play a ‘1B’ role.

Kaapo Kahkonen
Acquisition Cost: Low
Scoop: It doesn’t seem likely that a goaltender on the 31st place team in the league would post a save percentage north of .900 in a season, but that speaks to how well Kahkonen has played in San Jose this season at .905. The 27-year-old is also a pending UFA and likely to be one of the most in-demand netminders on the free agent market this summer, which means someone (even a non-playoff team) can give him a test drive now to see if he is a fit. The Sharks should be willing to consider any interesting offer that comes down the pike. At $2.75 million, cap-strapped teams would probably have to get creative to fit him in, considering the Sharks only have one salary retention spot remaining and may have to use it on another roster player at the deadline.

Anton Forsberg
Acquisition Cost: Low
Scoop: The Senators are another team that has struggled to figure out its goaltending woes, as Joonas Korpisalo has not been the answer this season after signing a five-year, $20 million deal last summer under the previous regime. Korpisalo, 29, has an .887 save percentage in 38 games. The numbers are barely better for Forsberg at .889 in 21 outings, but talking to goaltending scouts and coaches, there seems to be a belief in Forsberg and a market for him. Forsberg, 31, had a pretty good run prior to this season. In his previous 82 games with the Sens, he collected a .911 save percentage on a team that struggled in the standings. He has one year left at $2.75 million and if the Sens are trying to change up their goaltending for next season, he might be a decent lower-cost alternative to some of the goalies on this list.

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