Juuse Saros was involved in monster trade that fell through at the deadline!

A few days prior to this year’s trade deadline, the Columbus Blue Jackets are trading defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick.

However, the Kings almost went with a different trade target that could have changed the entire picture ahead of the postseason in the Western conference. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Kings and Nashville Predators had discussed a trade involving goalie Juuse Saros during the season, prior to acquiring Gavrikov and Korpisalo.

“A package involved multiple 1sts/prospects. I’m curious if LA revisits these talks this month or if that ship has sailed.”

This could mean that Saros is possibly no longer an untouchable in Nashville and that the Predators are trusting that prospect Yaroslav Askarov could be considered the goalkeeper of the future of the franchise. It will be quite interesting to see what new general manager Barry Trotz decides to do on this matter during the summer.

However if the trigger is finally pulled and Saros gets moved in the offseason,, one could understand that the Preds are heading for a rebuild in the near future. If that is the case, teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers could take a closer at Saros to get a top goalie in their pipes for a long run at the Stanley Cup. 

This will be interesting to follow.

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