from Adam Proteau of The Hockey News,

The Nashville Predators were a work in progress when longtime franchise mainstay Barry Trotz returned to the organization this summer as their new GM. Trotz made his mark quickly by cutting veterans Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene, but rather than going all the way with a full-rebuild, Trotz added veterans Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist to show fans he still saw them as playoff contenders.

Well, the Preds have played 14 games this season, and they’re one of the worst teams in the NHL, with a 5-9-0 record that has put them dead-last in the Central Division, behind even Arizona and Chicago. And star goaltender Juuse Saros has not been able to carry them, as he’s posted a .894 save percentage and 3.24 goals-against average.

At age 28, Saros is still in his prime, and he’s under contract for one more season after this one. He also doesn’t have any no-trade or no-move clauses in his current deal, so Trotz could ship him out to a team – like, say, the Edmonton Oilers – and bring back a heft haul in return. Trotz has to know this Predators group is not an elite bunch, and on a better team, Saros would post better individual numbers.

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