Nashville, Tenn. (July 1, 2024) – Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has agreed to terms with goaltender Juuse Saros on an eight-year, $61.92 million contract ($7.74 million AAV) that will begin in the 2025-26 season.
“We are pleased to announce today that Juuse Saros is going to continue his career with the Nashville Predators,” Trotz said. “This is a young man who has proven himself as one of the NHL’s best goaltenders. Just as importantly, he and his wife, Minna, have been an incredibly positive presence in our community, and we’re happy they’ve made a commitment to Nashville and Middle Tennessee for years to come. We’ve long envisioned Juuse spending his NHL career with the Predators, and this is the next step in that process. His competitiveness and work ethic will help him build even further on the success he’s already enjoyed as our starting goaltender.”
Saros, 29 (4/19/95), has established himself as one of the NHL’s best goaltenders since assuming the full-time starter role for the Predators four seasons ago. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22 (third) and has also come in fourth (2022-23) and sixth (2020-21) over the previous four seasons and earned an 11th-place finish in Hart Trophy voting in 2020-21. Over the last three campaigns, no NHL goaltender has started more games (195), spent more time on ice (11,366:19) or made more saves (5,534) than the 5-foot-11, 180-pound native of Forssa, Finland; he also ranks second in wins (106) and tied for 10th in shutouts (9) since the 2021-22 season.
In 2023-24, Saros helped the Predators qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons after going 35-24-5 with a 2.86 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and three shutouts. It was his third straight season with at least 30 wins, tied for the second-longest streak in Predators history behind only Pekka Rinne (5). Saros led NHL goaltenders in games played (64), starts (64), shots against (1,845) and saves (1,672) and set two separate career-long stretches – a 14-game point streak (12-0-2), the longest in Predators history, from Feb. 17-March 26; and a six-game win streak, which he set twice, most recently from Feb. 17-March 2. He started all six games of Nashville’s first-round series against Vancouver, stopping 108 of 120 shots and recording a 2.02 goals-against average.
Originally selected by the Predators in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Saros already ranks among the greatest goaltenders in franchise and Finnish history. He’s tied with Rinne for the best save percentage in Predators history (.917) and is second in wins (182) and shutouts (23). Among Finnish-born goalies in NHL history, Saros is seventh in wins, shutouts and starts (333), and his 23 career postseason appearances are the sixth-most by those from his country. Since making his NHL debut in 2015-16, Saros owns a 182-119-32 record; has been selected to two NHL All-Star Games (2022 and 2023); earned a spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2017-18; and was third in the NHL in wins in 2021-22 (38). He’s also recorded a 2.45 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in 23 career playoff games, 16 of which were starts.
Internationally, Saros has represented his native Finland at five major tournaments, winning gold at the 2014 World Junior Championship; earning silver at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the 2014 and 2016 World Championships; and taking home bronze in the 2013 U-18 World Championship. On Friday, he was named one of the first six players on Finland’s roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, which will be held in February 2025 in Boston and Montreal.
Before becoming a full-time NHL goaltender, Saros went 45-15-1 in 62 games for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and earned a spot on the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic roster.
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