Rumor: Juuse Saros Signs 8 Year / $7.74 AAV Contract

[Kat Predator]

This seems more and more to me like the issue here. The "tank" people vs. those who want to see playoff games. I don't think we can ever bridge that gap by talking about the players. The players are who they are. But it comes down instead to philosophy. Which none of these arguments about player value is ever going to bridge. I say "play to win". Full stop.

Speaking of tanking ... 24 of the 32 NHL teams have a top 3 pick on their roster. If you go top 5 or top 10, you include even more teams obviously. (Ironically, some perennial loser teams continue to have multiple top 3 picks on their roster. Vegas has 1.)

So the often argued correlation that a team has to have a "top pick" on the roster to win the Cup can be statistically seen as a shooting fish in a barrel data fitting exercise. The probabilities are ever in your favor. (Indeed, if you define "top pick" as a top 10 draft pick, the probability basically becomes a certainty. But it doesn't explain why 31 teams with similar top pick data points will not win a Cup in a given season.)

 

[Scoresberg]

We really need to keep an eye on Carolina this year. They're in a must-win territory and none of their goalies seem to be capable of making a save right now.

They also have decent pieces to give up, all their 1sts for the coming years plus some high-end prospects in their pipeline.

 

[herzausstein]

We really need to keep an eye on Carolina this year. They're in a must-win territory and none of their goalies seem to be capable of making a save right now.

They also have decent pieces to give up, all their 1sts for the coming years plus some high-end prospects in their pipeline.

They just lost Pesce for a long time too.

 

[Soundgarden]

I don't really see anything from Carolina that pops out to me prospect wise. They have Jarvis, but he's another winger.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I don't really see anything from Carolina that pops out to me prospect wise. They have Jarvis, but he's another winger.

And any 1sts we get are likely to be #24 or later.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Oilers lost the toilet bowl last night and are rapidly reaching the point of no return. Not that I necessarily want to move Saros or Askarov but surely Trotz has to be seeing if Holland wants to make a desperation move on his way out. Hell even Lankinen would probably be a huge upgrade in goal for Edmonton at this point.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

So our own pick would be sitting at #4 overall as of today. I'm not sure Edmonton has anything I'd want for Saros or Askarov, tbh. They don't have any super blue-chip prospects, and that whole line of argument people used to make about us not being able to get a high pick of our own because Saros is too good can probably be abandoned... the team CAN be bad enough even with Saros standing on his head to get us that lottery pick on our own.

Their best prospects like Bourgault, Holloway, and Broberg don't seem like anything above what we already have enough of. And for all they are off to a miserable start, I don't actually believe their 1st will be in the top-10. They'll fire their coach and get things at least somewhat turned around. So even while they may be a team that is struggling/desperate atm, I just don't think they have the assets to get one of our goalies regardless.

 

[wmupreds]

Oilers lost the toilet bowl last night and are rapidly reaching the point of no return. Not that I necessarily want to move Saros or Askarov but surely Trotz has to be seeing if Holland wants to make a desperation move on his way out. Hell even Lankinen would probably be a huge upgrade in goal for Edmonton at this point.

Hard to imagine the Oilers would want to roll the dice on Askarov if the point is to turn this year around. As for Saros, well, as Porter said EDM doesn't have a ton of assets, but their unprotected first would have to be tempting.

Definitely too early for something like this to actually happen but if the team doesn't turn things around soonish I think trading Saros needs serious thought, especially if Askarov does continue his great AHL numbers (hopefully his injury is minor).

I understand the reflexive disgust around tanking, but I still argue this isn't classic tanking that lasts 8 or 10 years, or at least shouldn't be if managed decently. The Red Wings style decade long rebuild happens because of an empty prospect pool.. Preds already have prospects, young NHLers and draft capital.

Painful part is that I agree with many here that say it's unlikely to get true equal value in return for Saros. But if the alternatives are letting him walk or signing a huge deal that more or less blocks Askarov and ties up cap at goalie, I think real consideration needs to be made. Keeping in mind that his value drops as we go forward and he has less time on this current sweetheart deal.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Oilers lost the toilet bowl last night and are rapidly reaching the point of no return. Not that I necessarily want to move Saros or Askarov but surely Trotz has to be seeing if Holland wants to make a desperation move on his way out. Hell even Lankinen would probably be a huge upgrade in goal for Edmonton at this point.

Outside of an unprotected 1st this year (which I wouldn't expect to be as low if they acquire Saros), Edmonton doesn't really have any assets of interest at this point.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Yeah Edmonton's pool of assets does make it tricky but I think you could find a way to make a deal. The problem is it requires Edmonton to give up one of the few other things they have going for it which might be a tough sell. I'd be interested in Evan Bouchard but does Edmonton want to give up one of their few competent defenseman? Maybe you could bring a third team in that gets Evander Kane or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That's basically all of Edmonton's accessory scoring and I'm not sure they even really have that much value either. I actually think Edmonton's problems go way deeper than goalie and its possible even Saros can't save them so I'd value that unprotected first really highly.

 

[101st_fan]

Edmonton has $21,000 in cap space. For them to take on Saros requires Nugent-Hopkins, Kane, Hyman, Draisaitl, McDavid, Nurse, or Ekholm in trade.

 

[wmupreds]

Edmonton has $21,000 in cap space. For them to take on Saros requires Nugent-Hopkins, Kane, Hyman, Draisaitl, McDavid, Nurse, or Ekholm in trade.

There is always the option to retain and take someone like Foegele.. or you have the option to take Campbell's contract which would go a long way to balancing the money and should come with another asset attached- but that 4 years is a significant downside.

With the dead cap already on the books these may not be perfect options but there are ways to make it work. Gets a little easier the longer the season goes on. Doubt this is a decision Trotz makes anyway unless the losing continues- at which point EDM may be pretty much out of the race and thus uninterested anyway.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Yeah Edmonton's pool of assets does make it tricky but I think you could find a way to make a deal. The problem is it requires Edmonton to give up one of the few other things they have going for it which might be a tough sell. I'd be interested in Evan Bouchard but does Edmonton want to give up one of their few competent defenseman? Maybe you could bring a third team in that gets Evander Kane or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That's basically all of Edmonton's accessory scoring and I'm not sure they even really have that much value either. I actually think Edmonton's problems go way deeper than goalie and its possible even Saros can't save them so I'd value that unprotected first really highly.

I don't know they consider trading the 1st unprotected at this point. I saw the math on the trade forums that they basically need to go something like 45-25 the rest of the season to make the playoffs. Don't see a goaltender like Saros, alone, fixing them, but do think they would wind up in the "black hole" of the #12-16 range rather than top 5/10.

Also doubt they trade a cost-controlled regular player off the current roster (and not sure I rate Bouchard all that much--he puts up points, but hard not to playing with McDrai). Most they'd probably attach to a pick is Broberg/Holloway.

 

[101st_fan]

There is always the option to retain and take someone like Foegele.. or you have the option to take Campbell's contract which would go a long way to balancing the money and should come with another asset attached- but that 4 years is a significant downside.

With the dead cap already on the books these may not be perfect options but there are ways to make it work. Gets a little easier the longer the season goes on. Doubt this is a decision Trotz makes anyway unless the losing continues- at which point EDM may be pretty much out of the race and thus uninterested anyway.

The team can retain one more salary thru then end of 2024-25 and the amount required just to get Foegele in return would put the Preds at over $13mil ... closer to $14mil in dead cap next season. Taking Campbell is counterproductive ... a lesser goalie at higher pay for longer term.

 

[Predsanddead24]

There is always the option to retain and take someone like Foegele.. or you have the option to take Campbell's contract which would go a long way to balancing the money and should come with another asset attached- but that 4 years is a significant downside.

With the dead cap already on the books these may not be perfect options but there are ways to make it work. Gets a little easier the longer the season goes on. Doubt this is a decision Trotz makes anyway unless the losing continues- at which point EDM may be pretty much out of the race and thus uninterested anyway.

Skinner coming back would be an option too. I wouldn't really hate him as a potential bounceback candidate. Still only 24 and maybe some time with Vanderklok gets him sorted out.

I don't know they consider trading the 1st unprotected at this point. I saw the math on the trade forums that they basically need to go something like 45-25 the rest of the season to make the playoffs. Don't see a goaltender like Saros, alone, fixing them, but do think they would wind up in the "black hole" of the #12-16 range rather than top 5/10.

Also doubt they trade a cost-controlled regular player off the current roster (and not sure I rate Bouchard all that much--he puts up points, but hard not to playing with McDrai). Most they'd probably attach to a pick is Broberg/Holloway.

Edmonton doesn't have a lot of good options now. Either got to stay the course and hope it works out or they've pretty much have to give up something they really don't want to. I think it's unlikely something actually works out but you never know.

 

[ShagDaddy]

Why be the team that helps bail them out by trading them a goalie? Let the dumpster continue to burn and be one of the only teams with enough cap space that can scavenge their roster at the TDL. Will Drai re-sign with them if it continues to go south like this or be traded at the TDL so he doesn’t walk for free?

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Why be the team that helps bail them out by trading them a goalie? Let the dumpster continue to burn and be one of the only teams with enough cap space that can scavenge their roster at the TDL. Will Drai re-sign with them if it continues to go south like this or be traded at the TDL so he doesn’t walk for free?

Yep, Trotz has set the team up to take advantage a situation like this, not give them something they need for scraps.

 

[Armourboy]

Yep, Trotz has set the team up to take advantage a situation like this, not give them something they need for scraps.

Exactly and while Saros may have more value because of contract now, to get real value from him you are essentially playing a game of chicken with the rest of the league in the hopes they get desperate and do something as stupid as Pittsburgh did with Granlund last season.

The only way you get real value for Saros is to catch a desperate GM. Edmonton may be about there, they just don't have anything you really want outside of an extended Draisital.

 

[PredsV82]

Saros wouldn't help Edmonton as much as anyone thinks. Look at how well Cam Talbot is playing in front of a competent defense in LA. Edmonton is the problem, not the various goalies they have tried

Saros would struggle on the Oil.

 

[BigFatCat999]

The things I would want from Edmonton are#1 and #2 on their scoring chart and they would say no.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Saros wouldn't help Edmonton as much as anyone thinks. Look at how well Cam Talbot is playing in front of a competent defense in LA. Edmonton is the problem, not the various goalies they have tried

Saros would struggle on the Oil.

I suspect Saros would kind of look like he does here, actually... he'll stand on his head for a little while, maybe keep a game close in the 1st period when he's getting shelled and the team should be down 3-0, but... ultimately succumb. In their current situation. BUT...

Again, that team was on fire later last season and finished with 109 pts. It's still the same players. They've hardly made any changes. So somewhere within that team exists an ability to play much MUCH better than they have to start this season. And in the playoffs last year, having Saros would have made a HUGE difference to their fortunes. So.... first they need to figure out how to get back to where they were. Maybe fire the coach, have some team meetings, whatever it is. Then *IF* they can do that... Saros could be what takes them all the way.

And perhaps having a little confidence in their goaltending would be one ingredient in helping them get back to where they were also.

They're still an imperfect team, but the margins are so slim in the modern NHL... if you have the 2 best players in the game on your team, a lot of things should be possible. I think the team really failed to act on their flaws in the summer... to a GM-firing level... so I strongly suspect they will continue to flounder in their present predicament also. They just don't seem to have a management acumen in place to achieve success right now, too many fat cats resting on their laurels.

 

[herzausstein]

If the price is right, im open to trading saros. I just dont think any team will meet that asking price where Im content.

Edmonton needs more than a goalie bur if they get a goalie that can atleast stop a beachball it might help give confidence to the rest of their team

 

[glenngineer]

The only way Saros gets moved to Edmonton is if other pieces are involved. They need depth around the big two. Problem is, the only player I’m interested in is Draisaitl and that trade package would have to be huge to make the players and contracts work.

All that to say, it won’t happen.

 

[ShagDaddy]

Are Oilers Serious Contenders For Preds Prospect Yaroslav Askarov?

With the AHL demotion of Jack Campbell, who signed a five-year, $25 million contract in the offseason, the Edmonton Oilers have arguably the worst goaltending situation in the NHL. They’re also reportedly searching for an upgrade in net, and TSN’s Ryan Rishaug recently suggested on the “Got Yer...

nashvillehockeynow.com

 

[herzausstein]

The only way Saros gets moved to Edmonton is if other pieces are involved. They need depth around the big two. Problem is, the only player I’m interested in is Draisaitl and that trade package would have to be huge to make the players and contracts work.

All that to say, it won’t happen.

To fit Saros, they need to move someone with equal or greater cap. Problem is only ones theyd Probably want to move is Nurse and Campbell. Nurse is ok but overpaid by like 3M and Campbell just sucks. They might want to get rid of brown as well so they dont have to deal with his bonus overage next season. I personally dont want any of them without a large overpayment. Their prospect pool isnt that interesting outside of Broberg and Bourgault. An unprotected 1st next draft would be very interesting because i think even with saros the way theyre playing right now any goalie is screwed.