THN.com/podcast. From THN On The 'Q': When Will the QMJHL No Longer Be Underdogs? Juuse Saros [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4NTQ4NTUxMzE4MzgyMDE5/usatsi_20458226.jpg] Juuse Saros This is Screen Shots, an ongoing THN.com column in which your humble writer takes on a few different hockey topics and breaks them down into a couple of paragraphs apiece. Let’s get straight to it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Columbus Blue Jackets continued their roster makeover Friday by acquiring veteran defenseman Damon Severson [https://thehockeynews.com/news/blue-jackets-to-acquire-damon-severson-from-devils-in-sign-and-trade-reports] from New Jersey in exchange for a 2023 third-round draft pick. At first glance, a third-rounder to New Jersey doesn't sound like a lot for Severson. But Severson was probably going to depart from the Devils as a UFA anyway, and the Devils signed him to an eight-year deal worth $6.25 million per year before trading him. The salary they're freeing up in the deal bumps up their cap space to $34.28 million, making them major players on the UFA and trade market this summer. To make this trade, Fitzgerald must be very confident in (a) the rest of his Devils defense corps, (b) his ability to sign RFAs, including forwards Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt, and (c) his ability to outbid other teams for UFAs. As we saw this past season, New Jersey has lots of cornerstone components in place, but Fitzgerald is doing yeoman’s work in providing cap flexibility to the team. Moves we’ll see from the Devils later this summer were made possible by deals like the Severson trade. It’s no wonder Fitzgerald is heralded by many hockey people as one of the brightest minds in the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There have been whispers of late [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/preds-talk/would-the-nashville-predators-really-trade-juuse-saros] that the Nashville Predators are open to a trade involving star goaltender Juuse Saros. Undoubtedly, it would be painful for the Preds to give up their star goalie, but it would be a massive gutsy move from Barry Trotz at the beginning of his GM career. It could bring back great young players in return as well. For instance, would a trade with the Maple Leafs that sent Saros to Toronto in exchange for star winger William Nylander and either a first-round draft pick or young winger Nick Robertson make sense for both sides? From our perspective, the answer to that question is “yes.” This 'mock-buster' would give the Leafs a bona fide star between the pipes and provide the Predators with two upper-tier assets to solidify their long-term future as a team to reckon with in the Central Division. You don’t get anything in NHL trades without giving something, and while there are people in both Nashville and Toronto who would prefer to hang onto Saros and Nylander, respectively, both sides of this potential deal would be better-balanced groups with this trade. It would address both teams’ needs at this point in their competitive cycles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If the Preds didn’t find common ground with Toronto in a trade involving Saros, perhaps the Buffalo Sabres could step in and trade their first-round pick and a solid prospect to Nashville for Saros. Buffalo doesn't need another young prospect at this point as much as they need a veteran goalie who can be a workhorse for them. Buffalo's Kevyn Adams is likely to be one of the most active GMs in the league this summer, and the Sabres have more than enough cap space [https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/sabres] to accommodate Saros without sending any veteran to Nashville in return. As per CapFriendly [https://www.capfriendly.com/players/juuse-saros], Saros has two more seasons remaining on his contract, with a $5-million annual cap hit. If he’s successful – whether he stays in Nashville or not – the 28-year-old Saros will be due a significant raise in pay. But right now, he’s a huge bargain, which is why you’ll hear his name in trade rumors all summer long – and as long as his signature isn’t on a contract extension.
