Predators Beat writer citing” I’ve heard that the Juuse Saros/#Preds situation is a little more serious than “just taking calls” at this point”

10 comments

1. He does pull the same quote from Friedman but, he cites that Necas fits the bill much better than other teams offerings at this point.

   So not to jinx it but, it seems if the canes want to make this happen they are seen as the most enticing offering.

2. Am I crazy for thinking that Saros minus Necas makes us worse? Necas is our most consistent offensive producer right now (since coming back).

   While our goaltending has been down right bad at times, our offense has been equally inept at others. Not to mention Saros has not played particularly well this year, and as others have pointed out, Necas might not even be enough to get this done alone (which I think is insane, but that’s a different debate).

   This trade addresses one problem, but opens up another on top of us already needing at least one more center who can score.

   Can someone convince me this is a good move?

3. I think we do this. It may back fire but we have to take a swing.

4. Necas has 35 points through 47 games. He is an NHL player. He is a top 6 forward. However, come playoff time he has been atrocious. There were times he looked totally lost out there along with KK. I get that people are attached to him.

   The way I see it, Saros can win us games on an individual level and also win us playoff games. Necas not so much. A great goalie is hard to find and we should jump at this opportunity. Goaltending is so important guys. I cannot overstate this. It is esp important come playoff times when we need those 2-1 1-0 wins.

5. I said it earlier, I love Necas but it’s going through be hard to hold onto him and other members of the core team so some hard choices will need to be made this summer.

   Plus he might actually thrive in another team with a less rigid system.

   If we can utilize him as trade bait now, while he’s on a heater, and get someone like Saros who is solid even if in a not so great year…. It can potentially fix an issue we’ve had for years; injured and aging goal tenders.

   We could the use Raanta, Martin and probably even Andersen to open cap space for offense or keep Skjei, Jarvis, Turbo, etc.

   It may not be the move that ensures the cup this year, but it could be a good long term strategy.

   That being said … I’ll pine for Necas just like I do for Trochek, Nino and E. Staal.

6. Nashville is still competing for a Playoff spot so I’m not sure how trading their #1 goalie works.  Askarov is waiting but not ready.

   I think Necas and Saros probably have similar value.  Goalies have lower value than forwards in general.  Saros only has one more year left.  It’s a tricky valuation as top tier goalies rarely get moved.

   I’d want someone like Novak back as well.  Pending UFA and Center depth.  Novak + Saros for Necas + Raanta/Andersen (if returning soon).

7. Necas is a very skilled and fast player. He’s fun to watch, but he doesn’t fit the RBA style at all and it’s more physical like in the playoffs he becomes a ghost. It would hurt to see him have succes elsewhere but I think it can be a win/win situation if he gets traded. I would be happy for him.

8. Another factor in a potential deal is keeping Saros away from the Devils.

9. Even trading Necas, this would be very, very tight with the cap heading into a year that will require a lot of resigning to avoid losing a lot of the core. I’m also not bullish on the idea that ace/unicorn goalies win Stanley Cups over the past decade and change and our goaltending lately has been good enough – Kochetkov’s stats on the year are actually better than Saros fwiw (I still think Saros is better, just behind a worse defense). Signing Saros might not make us much better while really making things difficult in the next two offseasons, which could send us backwards. If we’re going to take a risky swing, I want someone who can reliably put it in the back of the net.

   Beyond that, big deadline acquisitions have a poor track record generally – most teams that are good enough to win it end up making themselves worse unless they get a good rental – and the Canes FO has been skittish about them for good reason. They’re always fun to talk about and speculate on, but in strict cap league they’re an insane risk unless you’ve put yourself in a position where you have a lot of cap to play with. NJ’s core is younger and on very team friendly contracts + they need a G1 long term since they don’t have their own Kochetkov, so I think they’re the ones who are most incentivized and best set up to get Saros. Especially since better goaltending almost certainly would get NJ into the playoffs whereas they’re currently only sitting at a 25% chance under the status quo.

10. Pesce Drury and a first