Josi, Saros Named to NHL Network's 'Top 50 Players Right Now' List

As the Nashville Predators prepare to enter the 2023-24 season, they will be anchored by two of the best players in the NHL.

Defenseman Roman Josi and goaltender Juuse Saros each ranked fifth at their respective positions in NHL Network's countdown of the league's best players ahead of the 2023-24 season. The rankings are based on player performance over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2022-2023 regular season and 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Entering 2022-23, Josi was already a four-time NHL All-Star, the Predators career assists leader and the franchise's first-ever Norris Trophy winner. But when Nashville faced the Central Division Rival Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 21, the Preds captain recorded a goal and an assist to tie and then pass David Legwand for the top spot on the franchise's all-time points list.

Josi, who led Nashville with 59 points (18g-41a) last season, finished one spot ahead of the Boston Bruins' 2022 All-Star Charlie McAvoy and one spot behind two-time Stanley Cup champion Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"When I think of the Nashville Predators, I think Roman Josi," NHL Network analyst Thomas Hickey said. "He's been a staple for about five years. I'd put him right in this top-five territory over and over again. He helped a Nashville team that was in a transitional phase last year, I don't think they're taking a step back and I think his production is going to go way back up to a couple of years ago. …I love the way this guy plays."

Saros, Nashville's two-time All-Star and unofficial MVP of the 2022-23 season, finished one spot ahead of defending Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark of Boston and one spot behind the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets.

Saros put up one of the finest seasons by a goaltender in Predators history in 2022-23, finishing the season ranked first in the league in goals saved above expected (46.7) and tied for sixth in save percentage (.919). According to MoneyPuck.com, Saros' GSAE of 46.7 (all situations) was not only the highest in the NHL last season but also the highest among all League goaltenders since the site began tracking the category in 2008-09.

Saros' 63 starts in 2022-23 were just one fewer than Hellebuyck's League-leading 64 for Winnipeg. Saros turned in several stellar single-game performances, including an outing on Jan. 5 at Carolina, a 5-3 win for the Predators that saw him make 64 saves, tied for the third-most in a game in NHL history. He followed that up with a 38-save shutout on Jan. 9 at Ottawa; his 102 saves were tied for the seventh-most in two consecutive starts by the same goaltender and were the most since Byron Dafoe in 1995-96 (102).

Nashville's star netminder was arguably the primary reason why the Preds remained in the hunt for a playoff spot until the 2022-23 season's final days despite a barrage of injuries and a young, inexperienced lineup in front of him.

"He has kept them in the playoff hunt all these times," NHL Network's Bruce Boudreau said of Saros' value to the Predators. "To me, that mental toughness is what gets him in there, other than the athletic ability."