'He's Unreal': Central Division All-Stars Weigh in on Juuse Saros

To say that Juuse Saros is valuable to the Nashville Predators is an understatement; in fact, his own teammates have described him as "
the best player on our team
."
The 27-year-old goaltender will be representing the Predators on the Central Division roster at the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, Feb. 4 in Sunrise, Fla., and it's safe to say that his habitual opponents are happy to have him on their team for a change.
On a picturesque Thursday afternoon, as the NHL's best and brightest gathered on a terrace overlooking Fort Lauderdale Beach for All-Star Media Day, some of Saros' Central Division foes-turned-teammates shared their thoughts on his goaltending style, his uniqueness and what makes him so difficult to score against.

Connor Hellebuyck - G, Winnipeg Jets
"I feel like he's really stuck to the process and really improved throughout. Every year you see a guy and you see small improvements, and I think he was good from the start. Seeing him as much as I have, you know it's always going to be a good goaltending battle. Sometimes those are the games you look forward to the most."

Nathan MacKinnon - C, Colorado Avalanche
"I've played against him a lot. He's unreal. It's always fun… Obviously he's not the biggest guy, but the way he reads shots and reads positions is a big thing. He's very quick; I think that's a big thing."
Jason Robertson - LW, Dallas Stars
"He's one of the best goalies in the league, and I'm glad that we have him on our team [for the All-Star Game]. He's a smaller guy, but he kind of explodes at you really quickly. It's kind of hard to read. He's very athletic, and there are very few goalies who are very good at that."

Josh Morrissey - D, Winnipeg Jets
"I've played against him a lot through the years, with Hockey Canada playing against the Finns, and certainly the last number of years we've played the Preds a ton and he's always got his best game against us. He makes it tough… It's nice to have him on our side [for the All-Star Game]. He reads the game really well. He has a different style [than Hellebuyck], but he's super athletic and never out of the play. It seems like he makes these saves where the net seems completely open and then all of a sudden he comes diving across. His compete level and ability in the net is unreal."

The 2023 NHL All-Star Game, which will be broadcast live on ABC, is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., with the Skills Competition taking place the day before on Friday, Feb. 3 on ESPN. For the latest updates on Saros and his participation in the events, please visit NashvillePredators.com and follow @PredsNHL on all social media channels.