Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette announced to the media on Wednesday that goaltender Juuse Saros is day-to-day due to a lower-body injury.
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While the exact cause of Juuse Saros’ injury remains unclear, it seems it didn’t happen during gameplay. He utilized Tuesday’s practice as a maintenance day after the team had a day off on Monday, but he did participate in Wednesday’s practice.
Coach Andrew Brunette noted that a decision on the starting goaltender for Thursday’s season opener against the Dallas Stars hasn’t been made yet. Nashville has recalled goaltender Matt Murray to potentially back up Scott Wedgewood if Saros is unable to play.
Saros played in parts of two preseason games, successfully stopping all 26 shots he faced and finishing with a 1.93 GSAx.
This isn’t the season start Saros envisioned, as he aimed to rebound from a disappointing 2023-24 season by his own standards. Over 64 games, he held a 35-24-5 record, a save percentage of .906, 3 shutouts, and 7.51 goals saved above expected.
In the playoffs, he had a 2-4-0 record, a .900 save percentage, and a 2.23 GSAx as the Predators were eliminated in the first round by the Vancouver Canucks.
Saros, a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, spent a couple of seasons in SM-liiga with HPK Hameenlinna before making his NHL debut in 2015-16. He established himself as the backup the following season, sharing duties alongside Pekka Rinne for five years before becoming the starter in 2021-22 after Rinne’s retirement.
Currently, Saros is in the final year of his four-year contract with a 5millioncaphitbutwillavoidfreeagencyashesignedaneight−yearextensionwitha 7.74 million cap hit on July 1st.
The Predators aim to kick off their season successfully following significant offseason moves when they host the Stars on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST.
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