There is No Reason to Worry About Juuse Saros

The Nashville Predators' starting net minder has struggled in early games, but there is no reason to panic about goaltending in Nashville.

Saros ash't had his best performances of late, but he too is adjusting to a new system and the mistakes in front of him.

This hasn't been the best start to a season for Nashville Predators' goaltender Juuse Saros. Saros has a history of taking some time to warm up early in the season — he's more of a crock pot than a microwave. Having said that, with an .892 save percentage in his 13 games this season and a .851 in his last five games, Saros is having one of the most challenging starts to his career.

While there might be concern about how Saros is doing, there is no need to panic. There are reasons beyond just his typical warm up period that could explain why Saros may not be off to the start he wants...yet.

General Manager Barry Trotz talked to Jared Stillman on 102.5 The Game yesterday afternoon about the team making adjustments and Saros' play in net.

"Juice [Saros] is one of the best goaltenders in the National Hockey League, and ...his game is not at the level that we expect from Juice," Barry Trotz said.

Trotz also pointed out that the shot quantity that Saros has faced this season is different than what he has been used to.

"You think about all the shots he got last year, most games were averaging 40-45 shots a game," Trotz said. "It's even more difficult sometimes for a goaltender when he's got after two periods he's sitting there with ten shots on net."

"He's always been a busy goalie. Now he's not as busy because we're doing a really good job in front of him in terms of limiting and breaking out pucks and doing those things. All of a sudden, two periods go by, now the other team's on the power play to start the third period. All you've seen is ten shots in the whole game. It's a little different mentality for him."

On today's Locked On Predators Podcast, we talked about Juuse Saros' slower than normal start and why there is no reason to panic. As the Predators correct mistakes, veterans like Ryan McDonagh and Luke Schenn return to the lineup, and Saros gets more comfortable playing in a new system, the goaltending ship will right itself quickly.