While it’s only been two days since the were eliminated and a reactionary rumor rarely makes sense, there is a lot of talk in Nashville that the team should consider trading goaltender Pekka Rinne now.
At first glance, that would seem insane. Rinne is the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender in the regular season, but after a disappointing performance in the playoffs in which he was yanked quicker than any other goaltender in Game 7 playoff history, one has to look deeper. Rinne, who put up a 2.31 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 59 regular season games, definitely struggled once the postseason began, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.07 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 13 games. And at age 35, with one year left on his contract for $7MM AAV, this might be the best time to trade him. With several teams in need of a quality veteran goaltender such as the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres or the Philadelphia Flyers, the team might be able to get back a quality player, while freeing up needed cap room.
Nashville has other needs they need to consider as well. The team has the opportunity to extend the contract of star defenseman Ryan Ellis on July 1. The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan reports that the 27-year-old is open to playing out his career Nashville. However, it will likely take quite a bit more than the $2.5MM he is currently making, so cap room is essential. Add to the fact they will have to re-sign restricted free agent forwards Ryan Hartman and Miikka Salomaki. That’s extra money as well as the team’s need to sign restricted free agent goaltender Juuse Saros to a new deal.
On top of that, that extra $7MM could help the team make a big free agent splash to help them for their run next season, whether they attempt to add another top-four defenseman such as John Carlson, make an attempt to land John Tavares or go in a different direction.
Many feel that Saros might be ready to make that transition from backup to starter. The 23-year-old has been solid as the team’s backup for the past two years, putting up a 2.45 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 26 games this season. While only managing 114 minutes in four playoff games, Saros still performed admirably with a 1.06 GAA and a .952 save percentage in the playoffs. Considered the goalie of the future, why not now? Ideally, giving Saros one more year with Rinne as the starter makes sense, but if the team has to give Saros a lot of money in a bridge deal, the team might be paying close to $10MM for their goalie tandem, which is way too much.
Of course, making a move like this would be extremely risky, but The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin writes that if any team and general manager would consider trading a Vezina Trophy candidate as well as one of the best players in franchise history, David Poile would be the one. Back in June of 2016, Poile and the Predators did the unthinkable of sending star defenseman Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for P.K. Subban. While the deal was somewhat shocking, the move looks better and better every day while Weber’s play has declined due to injury and age.
What do you think: Do you think the Predators should move forward and give the starting job to Saros or keep everything the same and try again next season?
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Rinne is a Vezina finalist and without him Nashville is nowhere near were they wear this year or last year. He is however moving into the twilight of his career. If you think Saros is your goalie of the future, then trade Rinne when his value is highest. Otherwise keep him.
You have you keep him and just hope he can turn it around in the playoffs. He is the most inconsistent playoff player out there
If he gets traded, my money is on a trade with the basis being Rask for Rinne. Similar goalies, same cap hit. Rask signed for two extra seasons.
Let loose Juuse!
Andrew MacDonald Neuwirth and a third this year and next.
That would be awful trade for the Predators. They have no need for MacDonald with their defensive depth. They could do far better than trade if they elect to move Rinne
Dude should have explained that the original comment was meant facetiously. Next time I will post a spoiler alert warning.
It is unfair to put all the blame on Rinne. Sure, he was inconsistent & seemed to play better on the road than he did at home, but that could be said for the entire Preds team. They played tight & nervously at home and made poor decisions. Rinne got lit up in game 5, but those weren’t really his fault. His teammates let him down big time in that game. In game 7, the two goals were both weak, but the second goal wouldn’t have happened if Ellis played Stastny instead of leaving him wide open. Also, Rinne isn’t the only Pred who struggled. Turris was downright awful. He had no goals and was invisible a lot of the time. Fiala didn’t play particularly well against the Jets. Ellis had bad moments, as did Subban. Even the top line turned the puck over at key times. Placing all the blame on Rinne is wrong. It was a team effort losing the series.
Justin Faulk from Carolina for Rinne.