Two players to buy, one prospect to sell for the Red Wings at the 2024 trade deadline

Player to buy: Juuse Saros

Juuse Saros isn’t putting up the numbers we are used to seeing, but we don’t need to panic and believe he’s already losing his stride at age 29. Everyone has a “down year,” and Saros, after playing such a sound game since he took his first reps in Nashville, is no exception. 

Plus, he’s still better than the current trio of Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, and James Reimer, despite Lyon’s surprising campaign. And even in a so-called down season, Saros still has a 0.908 save percentage, a 2.82 GAA, 27 quality starts, and two shutouts. He’s also coming off of another year when he was in top-six consideration for the Vezina, which is an added bonus. 

We discussed Detroit’s current cap situation for the short term and throughout 2024-25, and Saros will make just $5 million next season, which should remain well within Yzerman’s budget. Yzerman would need to sign Saros to an extension next season or shortly after to keep him in the Motor City if a trade commenced.

Whether a move like this would happen and if Yzerman could find a way to swing a deal for Saros is something we wouldn’t find out until some point down the road. But even if they only get a full year out of Saros, he makes for an outstanding bridge in 2024-25.