From Vokoun to Saros. Nashville has a nose for goaltending. Now the next path is shaping up

Inevitable times have caught up with Nashville hockey. Every team has to go through a rebuild now and then to be one of the hot favourites for the Cup again in a few years. That’s the stage the club from the country town is currently in. And the foundation has to be laid where it was laid many years ago. In the goalmouth.

Nashville at the start of last season and this season has just the same name, but practically it’s a completely different team. Even last year, the Predators were viewed as one of the possible dark horses of the competition. Those days are gone now. For now.

The organization is celebrating 25 years of existence. Nashville has gone from a hockey exotic to a respected franchise. It peaked in 2017 when it reached the Stanley Cup finals. For many years, the city famous for country music has tried to make something more out of the groundwork laid.

The coveted Stanley Cup, however, remained a pipe dream. In Nashville, they learned that last season. It’s time to move on again. The Predators enter this season in the NHL alongside new general manager Barry Trotz. A new face also stands on the bench. John Hynes has been replaced by 50-year-old Andrew Brunette.

At least the time loop works perfectly here. Barry Trotz was the first coach in franchise history, now he’s back in Nashville. Andrew Brunette, for a change, scored the Predators’ first-ever goal. Men who have local blood in their veins have returned to Nashville.

Nashville wants a strong foundation

In important positions, Nashville has people who should breathe for the organization. However, when it comes to cornerstones, every hockey fan and expert knows that the cornerstone of success is in the crease.

Nashville has let a number of great goaltenders stand out in the past. One of them was Tomas Vokoun, who many fans will forever associate with the saber-toothed beast on his chest.

Before last season, the Finnish magician Pekka Rinne bid farewell to his rich hockey career. Not only to this day, but arguably for many years to come the best goalie they had in Nashville. Now the blue semicircle around the net belongs to another Finnish goalie. Juuse Saros is supposed to be one of the guys the new Predators team will be built around. That is, if he stays with the team.

When Barry Trotz moved into outgoing general manager David Poile’s office, he immediately made it clear that no one on the team is untouchable. However, he subsequently solidified that with the departures of Matt Duchene or Ryan Johansen. Instead, Trotz built a team of youngsters. Even at the cost of not being successful in the years to come.

The Predators aren’t even considered a playoff contender by the hockey community.

“We lost a lot of those good players. The NHL is a league where if you don’t have a great foundation and all the physical and mental tools to succeed, it’s relentless and takes your confidence away mercilessly. That’s something I wanted to avoid,” Trotz commented on the changes to The Athletic website.

Trotz: If he wants to be here, I want him to be here

So what about Saros? He, too, was originally on the list of possible candidates to be traded for younger blood. His contract currently runs through August 2025, but anything can happen. Just as Saros could be the victim of a trade move, Nashville can also insure the Finnish goalie with a contract extension for more money.

After all, Saros certainly won’t be invisible on the market. At twenty-eight years old, he has the ideal mix of experience, with the expectation of several years at the top. Statistically, he’s currently among the league’s very best. The new Predators front office seems to be realizing that very well.

“Saros wants to be here. If he wants to be here, I want him to be here,” Barry Trotz made clear on Thursday, according to The Athletic. It’s a nice change for the Finnish goalie. In fact, over the summer, he was made a fool of for being traded.

His heart skipped a beat, but he was relieved to find out it was just a stupid joke. On the contrary, there was even talk behind the scenes of figures that would include a contract amount column.

The experienced Finn seems to be really mentally fine, as he kept a clean sheet against Seattle in the second game of this season.

Rinne > Saros > Askarov

Goaltending is a hot topic in Nashville. No wonder. The Predators have been in this position for years, they are not going to change anything even after the change of coaches and general manager. In addition, Nashville is growing another goalie ace in the midfield. Twenty-one-year-old Russian goalie Yaroslav Askarov, the 11th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is blossoming on the Milwaukee Admirals farm.

The Preds are counting on him to some extent in the future, although Tortz is cautious. “Askarov is a star goalie prospect, but … he’s the show’s star goalie prospect,” noting that his future is not yet built on any certainties.

Nor can it be assumed that Nashville would mindlessly get rid of Saros and throw Askarov into the water with an “either/or” risk. On the contrary, there is a successful parallel with the Finnish pairing of Rinne and Saros.

Saros was his more famous compatriot’s number two for several years, growing alongside the experienced goalkeeper. Until he almost outgrew his mentor. And when Rinne bid his hockey career a final goodbye, Nashville had a successor ready in the making.

And it’s a similar path that Askarov could take to the NHL. At this point, it’s just a matter of keeping faith in Saros. And Saros himself has shown several times that he can be counted on.

Source: Nashville Predators, The Athletic