Juuse Saros Returns, Healthy and Hungry for More Wins

April 26, 2022 is a day that most Preds faithful likely wish they could forget.
In case you have in fact forgotten, it was the day that All-Star goaltender Juuse Saros' remarkable 2021-22 campaign came to an unceremonious end as he limped off the ice after landing awkwardly on his leg late in the third period against the Calgary Flames.

As disappointed as Preds fans were about Saros' untimely injury with the Stanley Cup Playoffs looming, no one was more devastated than Saros himself.
"It was frustrating," Saros said of the injury, which ultimately sidelined him for the postseason. "We were kind of waiting for those games to come and I got] injured right before that. Obviously, that was super frustrating."
Saros, who had never started more than 35 games in a season at the NHL level prior to 2021-22, made a League-leading 67 starts for the Preds last season. He didn't mind the extra workload - in fact, he welcomed it.
"I felt good the whole season, and my body and mind were healthy and I really enjoyed playing a lot," he said. "But of course, when that kind of stuff happens you've got to add a few more things in your workout routine that maintain your body and keep it strong."
Which begs the question: How is he feeling now?
"All good," a smiling Saros said Tuesday, following an informal morning skate with teammates. "Excited for the new season, so it's good to be back and see all the guys."
Saros came in at No. 3 on
[NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies
in the League right now after finishing last season with a 38-25-3 record. His 38 wins trailed only the Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy and Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky (39 each), and his four shutouts were tied for sixth in the League. Saros also faced the second-most shots (2,107) and made the second-most saves (1,934) behind the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck while leading the position in time on ice time (3,931:42).
From NHL Network Analyst Ken Daneyko: "At 5-11, Saros] bucks the trend of today's wave of NHL goalies that are all 6-3 and bigger because obviously the bigger you are, the more net you are going to cover but it doesn't matter with him. … Saros is remarkable to watch."
Saros also earned high praise from former Predators goaltender Tomas Vokoun, a cornerstone of the 1998-99 inaugural team who commended the 27-year-old for his speed and agility.
"He's unbelievably quick, he's got great reflexes and his game is unreal," Vokoun said in
[a recent interview
. "I think honestly, if he was two inches bigger, he would probably be the best goalie in the League."
Saros' exceptional season, his first as a full-time starter, made him a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22. He finished third in the voting behind Calgary's Jacob Markstrom and the New York Rangers' Igor Shesterkin (the eventual winner) but says the honor doesn't make him feel any added pressure or change the way he is approaching the upcoming season. Saros remains focused on helping the Preds reach the postseason - this time, with him between the pipes.
"I think it was obviously a special and really cool thing to get nominated, but it hasn't really changed anything for me," Saros said. "I'm really, really hungry to get back there."