Should The Predators Move Juuse Saros?
The Nashville Predators had another disappointing campaign, missing the playoffs for a second straight year. It’s hard to say they fell short of expectations this year, given how low they were, but that doesn’t remove the sting of failing to reach the postseason for a team with several proud veterans in its lineup.
One of those veterans, goaltender Juuse Saros, had an especially frustrating season, facing the most shots in the NHL and finishing with the worst numbers of his 11-year career. The 31-year-old faced 1,701 shots this year and will likely face a similar workload next season unless significant changes take place in Nashville.
With his second straight sub-.900 SV%, Saros’s play is a cause for concern and could have management in Nashville debating whether he is still the guy for the Predators.
To put Saros’ decline into perspective, the first eight full seasons of his career saw him post a save percentage north of .900, including seven straight seasons above .910. Those are elite numbers among goaltenders, and that type of play garnered Saros some Vezina Trophy consideration in several of those years.
At the time of signing his current contract (July 1, 2024), Saros was among the league’s top netminders, which is why Nashville handed him an eight-year deal worth $61.92MM ($7.74MM AAV). It was a commitment to their star goalie, whom they had relied on for years, with 60+ games per season from 2021-2024.
That contract only kicked in this season, and the timing could not have been worse for Nashville, as Saros’ play fell off considerably in the first year of that lucrative extension.
This past season, Saros posted a .894 SV% to go with a 3.16 GAA and a 28-22-8 record in 59 appearances. Outside of the win-loss record, those numbers are very similar to last year’s, when he appeared in 58 games and had a 20-31-6 record with a .895 SV% and a 2.98 GAA.
Taking a deeper dive into some of his analytics, Saros had a -7.4 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck) in 2024-25 and a -9.3 this past season. Taken together, those numbers paint the picture of a goaltender who has been significantly below average in each of the last two years.
With seven years left on that contract, Saros doesn’t look like the star netminder Nashville hoped he would be, and it is certainly a cause for concern. It’s hardly the first time a goalie on the wrong side of 30 has seen a drop-off in play, but it is especially troubling for Nashville for a variety of reasons, the biggest being the term and money left on the deal. Saros is still owed over $50MM over the remaining seven years, and if he struggles next season, that contract becomes an anchor.
So could they try to move him this summer, when his value is so low?
It might not be the worst time to do it, given how goalie-hungry the entire league is and how quickly the salary cap is accelerating. There are many teams with ample cap space and major goaltending issues who would be all too happy to roll the dice on Saros despite his recent struggles and expensive contract.
Just look at how desperate the Oilers were this past fall when they traded for Tristan Jarry and his pricey contract, even though Jarry was one of, if not the, most inconsistent goaltenders in the entire NHL. Edmonton even paid handsomely to acquire Jarry, despite his warts, because they had no other options.
Many other teams could face the same goalie landscape if they try to upgrade, which is good news for Nashville if they do indeed pursue a Saros trade.
One major hiccup in trading Saros will be his full no-movement clause, which is in effect for another five years and will be a major hurdle if Nashville looks to move him. The clause will effectively limit Nashville’s market to Saros’s preferred destinations, which might be the biggest issue if they try to move him.
Another major issue is that if Nashville plans to bring up some of their promising prospects and complete, who out there could be a better option than Saros? The free-agent market for netminders is thin, to say the least.
Sure, the Predators could roll the dice on a Stuart Skinner, but he isn’t an upgrade and brings his own inconsistency into the fold.
Backup Justus Annunen is another option, as he is signed for another two seasons, but he’s never been an NHL starter and has never played more than 34 games in a season. He also has just 80 games of NHL experience, making him an unlikely option for a starting role at this time.
Truthfully, the best option is the one that aligns with Nashville’s future plans. If the team elects to rebuild in a dramatic way, trading a pricey starting goalie makes sense.
However, if the Predators have any plans to be competitive again, they have much bigger issues than Saros’s goaltending. In any event, it will be an interesting summer for the Predators, as they could look quite different come training camp in September.
Image courtesy of Katie Stratman-Imagn Images.
Korbinian Holzer Announces Retirement
According to an announcement from the ICEHL’s Graz99ers, former NHL defenseman Korbinian Holzer has officially hung up his skates. He spent nine years in the NHL playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, and Nashville Predators.
Holzer’s professional career in North America began nearly two decades ago, being selected with the 111th overall pick (fourth round) of the Maple Leafs in the 2006 NHL Draft. Before joining North American ice, Holzer played several seasons with the DEL’s DEG Metro Stars, finishing the 2009-10 season with six goals and 22 points.
Finally making the jump, Holzer spent most of the 2010-11 campaign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, registering three goals and 13 points in 73 games with a +10 rating. Still, he managed to debut with the Maple Leafs, earning a -1 rating in two contests.
After spending the 2011-12 season exclusively with the Marlies, Holzer became a more consistent precense on the Maple Leafs’ blue line. Between 2012 and 2015, Holzer appeared in 56 games for Toronto, scoring two goals and nine points, averaging 17:39 of ice time.
Unfortunately, the team that drafted him wasn’t convinced of his staying power. Toronto passed Holzer through waivers ahead of the 2014-15 season, and eventually traded him to the Ducks the following season.
Orange County is where Holzer enjoyed the best seasons of his NHL career. Remaining a seventh defenseman with Anaheim, Holzer spent five years with the Ducks organization, scoring four goals and 18 points in 145 games with a -2 rating, averaging 14:48 of ice time per game. Failing to provide much offense, Holzer was a responsible player in the defensive zone, earning a 92.5% on-ice SV% at even strength while beginning 53.6% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
After a trade to the Predators toward the 2020 trade deadline, Holzer’s career in North America concluded. He has had multiple pit stops since then, playing for the KHL’s Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, the DEL’s Adler Mannheim, before finally concluding his professional career with the Graz99ers.
Over eight years, Holzer scored six goals and 27 points in 206 NHL contests, with another 12 goals and 79 points in 297 AHL appearances. We at PHR congratulate Holzer on his career and wish him the best in his next chapter.
Predators' Jack Ivankovic To Join Team Canada At Worlds
- Sticking with college hockey, Nashville Predators prospect and University of Michigan starter Jack Ivankovic will join Team Canada at the World Championship per Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek. This will be a golden chance for Ivankovic to prove his iron man abilities after missing a chunk of the season due to a lower-body injury. Ivankovic returned well ahead of schedule from that injury and led Michigan to a Frozen Four semi-final loss against the eventual championship-winning Denver Pioneers. The second-round draft pick set 25 wins and a .921 save percentage in 35 games with Michigan this season. His performance marked the most wins from a goaltender under the age of 19 since Tyler Wall posted 26 wins with UMass-Lowell in 2017 and Billy Sauer posted 25 wins with Michigan in 2007.
Nashville Predators Sign Vitali Pinchuk
Earlier today, agent Dan Milstein shared that his client, Vitali Pinchuk, had agreed to a one-year, entry-level contract with a mystery team. A few hours later, Milstein announced that the Nashville Predators had won the sweepstakes. The Predators confirmed the signing, though they didn’t release any financial details of the one-year pact. According to PuckPedia, the entry-level contract carries a $922,500 base salary, $102,500 signing bonus, $85K AHL salary, and $1MM in potential performance bonuses.
Pinchuk, 24, has been the topic of much speculation over the last two years. Despite going undrafted through his years of eligibility, the Belarusian has made quite a name for himself with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Last month, reports indicated that nearly every team, 29 in fact, had contacted Pinchuk’s representation about bringing him to North America.
His production speaks for itself. Over the last two years, Pinchuk has scored 56 goals and 109 points in 131 games, with an additional seven goals and 18 points in 19 postseason contests. It wasn’t enough to lead the league in scoring, but Pinchuk was the only under-25 player to finish top-10 in KHL scoring this past season.
Pinchuk stands at 6’3″, 203 lbs. He is overtly physical, but uses his larger frame to protect the puck. Still, he largely utilizes his offensive skill, which he has plenty of, to make the most impact.
Unless something unexpected happens, Pinchuk should begin the 2026-27 season on the Predators’ opening night roster. Still, depending on training camp and preseason play, he could use a month of seasoning with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, though the expectation is that he spends most of the year in Nashville.
Given his frame, he won’t be out of place starting on the third line. He has the offensive firepower to offer Nashville tertiary scoring immediately, and the team could easily move him up the lineup if he performs well. Still, the Predators will want to make some room for him, as they already have 14 forwards signed for next season (including Pinchuk) with others looking to crack the roster.
USA Hockey Finalizes Coaching Staff For 2026 Worlds
USA Hockey has rounded out its coaching staff for next month’s 2026 World Championship in Switzerland, the organization announced Thursday. Former Sabres bench boss Don Granato was previously announced as the head coach in March as the Americans aim to win back-to-back gold medals at the event for the first time ever.
Joining Granato as assistants will be Canucks assistant Kevin Dean, Predators assistant Darby Hendrickson, Rangers assistant Ty Hennes and University of Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato. Sharks goaltending coach Thomas Speer is joining in the same role, while Predators video coach Lawrence Feloney and Islanders video coordinator Matt DeMado have also been added to the staff.
It’s a very similar group to the contingent that led the Americans to the promised land last season. Dean, Speer, and Feloney are all returnees, as are general manager Brett Peterson and assistant general manager Jeff Kealty.
Dean had no previous national team experience up until last year’s tournament, but they obviously liked what they saw, then under Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky. He’ll be primarily responsible for the defensemen and penalty kill, the same role he holds in Vancouver, although the Canucks had a league-worst 71.5% penalty kill success rate and ranked 29th in the league in shots against per game with 29.8 in Dean’s first season behind the bench there. He had previous stints with the Bruins (2017-22) and Blackhawks (2022-25) as an assistant.
In Nashville, Hendrickson is more of a roving assistant focused on player development. This marks his first national team appearance as a coach, although he scored 14 points in 44 World Championship games for the U.S. as a player in six tournaments (1996-2001) and also suited up for them at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Hennes returns to the United States bench after first serving as an assistant coach at the 2024 Worlds. The Americans went 5-1-1 in group play that year but were upset by the host Czechia in the quarterfinals. Hennes is coming off his first season with the Rangers, following Mike Sullivan to New York last summer after spending the previous three seasons under him as an assistant with the Penguins.
Naurato, one of the brighter coaching prospects in the sport, is 41 years old and just wrapped up his fourth season heading up the Wolverines’ bench. A former player development consultant with the Red Wings from 2018-21, he spent only one season at Michigan as an assistant before earning the promotion. During that time, he’s won a pair of Big 10 championships and got Michigan to its fourth Frozen Four in the last five years, although they’ve been bounced in the national semifinal each time.
Predators Optimistic To Remain Competitive
Vancouver Canucks young star Zeev Buium won’t play for Team USA in the upcoming IIHF World Championships, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports.
The 20-year-old is no stranger to the international circuit in early stages of his career, and winning, at that. Buium helped the United States take home gold last year at the World Championships, their first such title in 92 years, with four points in eight games. That came after back-to-back gold medals at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships.
Assuming today’s news to be the case, the skilled lefty will focus on resting up after the long grind of 76 NHL games in his rookie year. After being dealt to the Canucks, Buium’s ice time jumped nearly two full minutes, averaging 20:21 wearing the blue and green.
Despite facing the challenges of being on the NHL’s bottom-ranked team, Buium escaped with a commendable 49.3% corsi for at five-on-five, with over 60% of his zone starts on the attack, with some shelter in mind. With plenty of gold earned in the past, it’s a well deserved break for Buium who will set his eyes on another big step coming in 2026-27.
Elsewhere across the conference:
- Also in Vancouver, Islanders Assistant General Manager Ryan Bowness was listed as a name to watch as a candidate for the team’s open General Manager position by Dhaliwal, and later relayed by Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. The 42-year-old, son of Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness, has ties to Jim Rutherford, having served in the Pittsburgh scouting department from 2016-2022. Bowness is just in his first year on Long Island, coming over after three years in the Senators organization. On the other hand, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet mentioned an internal candidate, Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson on yesterday’s edition of 32 Thoughts. Friedman speculates that Rutherford would make the recommendation for the 49-year-old after 13 years in the organization, and GM of their AHL affiliate since 2017-18. Johnson was a Canucks player himself from 2008-2010.
- With exit interviews coming from various Nashville Predators players, Brooks Bratten, Senior Content Manager, wrote on the team’s reflection from a season which came up short, and their optimism ahead. Interestingly, Steven Stamkos described the expectation to stay competitive and push for the playoffs in 2026-27. Such idealism is normal for non-playoff teams in an offseason so fresh, but Nashville will be a team to watch this summer, with a new general manager coming in and ample evidence it’s time for bigger changes. Likely to miss another top 10 draft selection, of which they have just one since 2013 (Brady Martin, 5th, 2025), the Predators once again find themselves in a difficult, middling ground. Even the 36-year-old Stamkos’ 42 goals weren’t enough to move the needle, and a real shake up could be on the horizon under a new regime.
Predators Reassign Brady Martin To AHL
The Nashville Predators have reassigned top prospect Brady Martin to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals for the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. Milwaukee is set to face the Manitoba Moose in the first round of the postseason. Martin’s season in the OHL came to an end with a loss to the Kitchener Rangers on Friday.
Martin broke camp with the Predators to start the season after being selected fifth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. He scored one assist in three games with Nashville before being reassigned to the OHL. He took on the Soo Greyhounds’ captaincy upon his return and scored 11 points in his first five games back in the league. Martin continued to score at a point-per-game pace through December, then joined Team Canada for the 2026 World Junior Championship. His imposing, physical presence made Martin a pillar of the Canadian lineup. He proved as much with eight points in five games to start the tournament – but that hot run came to an end when Martin sustained an injury on a hit from Czech defenseman Matyas Man.
Martin went on to miss a month with the injury. The Greyhounds continued to watch his workload upon his return, which ultimately capped Martin to only 24 regular season games. He scored as many points, then added 10 more points in 10 playoff games. After overcoming an up-and-down season, Martin will now face his first test in the AHL. He should bring another game-changing impact to an Admirals lineup that has already added Reid Schaefer, Ryan Ufko, Zachary L’Heureux, and Joakim Kemell from the Predators lineup. The reinforced lineup should pose a tough challenge for the AHL’s Western Conference.
Trotz: Belief Is Most Of Predators Roster Will Return Next Season
- Predators outgoing GM Barry Trotz met the media today and noted to those in attendance, including team reporter Brooks Bratten (Twitter link), that he expects the roster to largely remain intact this summer. The hope is that doing so will allow them to get back to the playoffs as soon as possible after a late-season run came up a little short this year. The team appears to be making progress in its GM search so it will be interesting to see if the incoming manager feels the same way about the roster.
Latest On Predators GM Search
It has been four months since the Nashville Predators announced general manager Barry Trotz‘s plans to step down from his role this summer. They have been in the thick of a search for a replacement ever since, building up a long list of candidates along the way. That list is expected to continue growing with the NHL regular season now wrapped up, which allows Nashville the chance to speak with candidates that they did not have immediate permission to interview per hockey insider Frank Seravalli.
The influx of options after the end of the season has helped Nashville begin checking names off of their list. Internal candidates Jeff Kealty and Scott Nichol, both currently assistant GMs with Nashville, have been informed they are no longer candidates according to Seravalli. That means the Predators’ next GM will likely come from outside of the organization, putting much more focus on the team’s upcoming interviews. That importance is clear to the Predators’ ownership. Minority owner and record-holding college football coach Nick Saban has even sat in on some interviews, adds Seravalli.
Through early interviews, three candidates have emerged above the rest. Edmonton Oilers AGM Bill Scott, Florida Panthers AGM Brett Peterson, and Dallas Stars AGM Scott White have each had multiple in-person interviews for the role according to Seravalli.
Scott handles the Oilers’ day-to-day cap management and contract negotiations with players and staff. He was a minor-league GM for four years before joining the Oilers, with a focus on interpreting the league’s by-laws and collective bargaining agreement. Scott now serves as the Oilers’ liaison to the NHL for any matters related to the CBA.
Peterson was vice president of the Wasserman Media Group before joining the Panthers’ staff in 2020. During his own playing days, Peterson – a member of the 2001 National Championship-winning Boston College Eagles – was represented by current Panthers GM Bill Zito. That connection eventually transformed into a role in Florida’s front office, where Peterson offers expertise in roster and cap management. He was also named the GM of Team USA for the 2026 World Championship.
White handles GM duties of the AHL’s Texas Stars and also serves as Dallas’ Director of Hockey Operations. He has been with the Stars since 2005, took over GM duties for the AHL’s Stars in 2009, and became an NHL AGM in 2016. In that time, White has overseen a Texas Stars team that won the 2014 Calder Cup and finished as runner-ups in 2010 and 2018. In total, the AHL Stars have made 12 of a possible 15 postseasons since White took over management duties – excluding the cancelled 2020 postseason. He also brings a key focus on roster management, a trait that seems to be a major focal point of Nashville’s GM search.
The Predators also spoke with New York Rangers AGM Ryan Martin, a veteran of NHL front offices who began his career with the Detroit Red Wings in 2005. Martin was Detroit’s Director of Hockey Administration during their 2008 Stanley Cup win, then led the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to Calder Cup Championships as their GM in 2013 and 2017. He also supported the USA World Junior Championship roster as a scout for their 2021 Gold Medal win. Martin
Despite a trio of candidates rising to the top, the Predators’ next GM may not have had their first interview just yet. Nashville plans to interview former New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald later this week. Fitzgerald was named the first captain in Predators’ history in 1998. He held the honor for four seasons and was leaned on as a defensive-winger during his time with Nashville. He moved on in 2002 and retired from playing in 2006.
Fitzgerald’s managerial career began in a player development role with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the following season. He was promoted to AGM in 2009 and held onto the role for six years, leaving right before the club won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. While his old club sized rings, Fitzgerald moved to an AGM role with the Devils, a position he would be promoted from partway through the 2019-20 season. The Devils made two of a possible six postseasons under Fitzgerald’s reign. Questions around his ability to make meaningful changes and upgrades to the roster boiled to the surface, though experience in the Predators’ organization and an already-established prospect pool could be enough to put him on the right track in his second GM role.
If not Fitzgerald, the Predators could also move forward with former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin or Boston Bruins AGM Jamie Langenbrunner per Pagnotta. Those names will round out a lengthy shortlist for Nashville’s open GM chair. Their options include years of GM experience, assistants on the rise, and innovative and stat-driven thinkers. It doesn’t seem the Predators will be in much of a rush to make their decision, with interviews still on the schedule and the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet to play out. On the other side of the postseason, Nashville will face a choice that will define the club’s future through the 2020s.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.
Predators To Interview Tom Fitzgerald For GM Vacancy
The Predators have an interview scheduled with former Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald this week, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. That fit was first explored immediately after Fitzgerald’s firing earlier this month, but it’s clear now he’s a serious candidate as Nashville’s search process for Barry Trotz’s successor nears its final stages.
Aside from Fitzgerald’s lengthy and recent executive experience, his personal connection to Nashville always made him a leading contender for the role the minute he became available. He spent four of his 17 NHL seasons as a player in Tennessee, was the franchise’s first-ever captain and chose the team as a free agent upon their inception in 1998, not as an expansion draft choice.
Nashville’s decision will come by the end of the month, Pagnotta said. While Fitzgerald had been the Devils’ GM since midway through the 2019-20 season, that’s not where his resume begins. Shortly after wrapping up his playing career in 2006, he was hired as the Penguins’ director of player development. He was part of the organization’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Final trips in 2008 and 2009 before being promoted to assistant general manager, a role he held until following former Pens GM Ray Shero to New Jersey to fill the same role in 2015.
The Predators have made it clear that experience is a prerequisite, per multiple reports. Their field has mostly consisted of highly-touted AGMs from around the league looking to take the next step, including Rangers assistant Ryan Martin, but Fitzgerald’s six-plus years of top-level experience could end up being too appealing to turn down.