Saros took over as the Predators' No. 1 netminder last season, and he held up pretty well with the increased workload, finishing the year with a 17-12-4 record, a 2.70 GAA, a .914 save percentage and four shutouts. Pekka Rinne is entering the final year of his contract, and he struggled to the tune of a 3.17 GAA and .895 save percentage in 36 appearances last year, so Saros should take an even bigger share of the starts in 2020-21, perhaps even as much as 60-65 percent. However, the Predators appear to be on the downswing as a whole, so a decrease in win percentage as well as worse GAA and save percentage figures are certainly in the cards for the 25-year-old Finn this season. Saros will still be worth a mid-round pick, but expectations should be tempered. He should be viewed as a No. 2 fantasy option in goal heading into this year's drafts.
Saros took a small step back last season, but he still put up a highly respectable stat line, compiling a 17-10-2 record while posting a .915 save percentage and a 2.62 GAA in 31 appearances. The Finnish backstop is just 24 years old, and should only continue to get better over the next two years before presumably replacing Pekka Rinne as the Predators' starter in 2021-22. Saros' playing time has steadily increased over the last three campaigns due to Rinne's age, but he probably won't make more than 35 appearances in 2019-20. However, he should get enough work to be worth rostering as a No. 2 or No. 3 option in most formats this year, especially if owners are confident that he can post a save percentage north of .920 for the third time in four seasons.
In his second season as the Predators backup to starting netminder Pekka Rinne, Saros rebounded from a poor start to post some pretty decent numbers by the end of the season. After going 1-3-1 in his first five games, along with a 3.71 GAA and .870 save percentage, Saros was sent down to the AHL a number of times to get in some extra starts with the Milwaukee Admirals. The move seemed to pay off, as Saros went 10-2-6 the rest of the way for the Preds with three shutouts, improving his GAA and save percentage to 2.44 and .925, respectively. Looking ahead, Rinne may have won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best netminder last season, but Saros remains the goalie of the future in Nashville. As Rinne's time with the club winds down – 2018-19 will be the final year of a hefty seven-year contract – Saros is well-positioned to take over the reins. He signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract in July, all but guaranteeing the Preds are readying him to take over as their No. 1 guy.
Saros started the 2016-17 season at AHL Milwaukee as the No. 3 guy on the Preds’ goalie depth chart, but it only took him a couple months to surpass Marek Mazanec and become Pekka Rinne’s full-time backup. He achieved that by posting a sparkling 13-2-0 record with a 1.86 GAA and .934 save percentage in the AHL, and the young Finn -- just 21 years old when he was called up -- carried his high level of play over to 21 NHL contests, going 10-8-3 with a 2.35 GAA and .923 save percentage. With two years remaining on Rinne’s contract, Saros doesn't figure to inherit the starting job anytime soon, but he certainly appears to be the Preds’ goalie of the future -- and a potential star of the league, at that. If Rinne struggles or goes down to injury, Saros could see his value spike in a hurry, but the veteran has generally enjoyed great health throughout his career.
After spending two seasons with Hameenlinna in the Finnish Elite League (2013-15), Saros made his transition to North America last season and posted outstanding numbers for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals, finishing 29-8-0 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Saros is currently expected to start the 2016-17 season back in Milwaukee, with fellow rookie Marek Mazanec likely to get the nod as Pekka Rinne's backup. However, if Mazanec falters, the Preds won't hesitate to give Saros a look. "I have no fear that if [Mazanec] doesn't do it that Saros can do it," Preds GM David Poile said at the team's Development Camp back in June. It may take another season or two for him to arrive, but currently it looks like Saros and Mazanec are the Preds' future between the pipes once the 33-year-old Rinne's career starts to wind down.
