102.5 The Game Youtube: Elliotte Friedman when asked about the Nashville Predators chances of trading Juuse Saros, how the odds have changed, has the asking price changed, and is it prospects Yaroslav Askarov’s time.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Caroline Fenton: “All right, Elliotte Friedman is with us. Last one from me, Elliotte, you know, I’ve seen a bunch of mock trades by some of your colleagues over at Sportsnet. This one is by Ryan Dixon (can read here), a potential trade between New Jersey and the Predators.
So New Jersey would get Jusse Saros and Alexandre Carrier (50 percent salary retained). To Nashville forward Dawson Mercer, and defenseman Seamus Casey. A couple of goalies and the veteran expiring contracts, Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, and then also a 2025 first-round pick, top five projected first-round pick from New Jersey.
Your initial thoughts on the on the mock trade?”
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Derrick Mason: “Good, good job with the names.”
Friedman: “Sorry, what’s that?”
Mason: “I was telling Caroline good job with the names. I like it.”
Friedman: “Very, very good Caroline. You know, I gotta tell you, if that was on the table, I think Nashville would like that. Like that Dawson Mercer kid, he is really talented, really talented. He hasn’t had a great year, but that happens sometimes. He’s a really, really talented player and he has high respect around the league.
Like I think if you, if the Predators made a deal, and that was the kind of kid they got back, that they would be very, very happy about that.
Now, I will say this. I believe that, like some of the teams have been dealing with the Devils on other issues have asked about Mercer and I believe they’ve been told no. So but you never know what can happen, right? I know. He’s a player that Devils value. If he was on the table, I think that would excite the Predators a lot.
You know, Casey, I haven’t seen him a lot. But I’ve heard good things. But again, like I don’t watch the, like Ryan, who wrote that, Ryan Dixon, he really watches the prospects a lot more than I do. I have enough to do at the NHL level, but I know he’s a really talented kid.
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So but I’ll say this, if Mercer was available, there would be teams who would drive to New Jersey to go pick them up. So if in some world that deal happened, I think the predators would be very happy with that. And their fans would eventually be happy with that too, because Mercer is a real talented young kid.
Fenton: “Interesting. Interesting.”
Friedman’s segment on the above starts at 2:22:00 and more Saros talks at 2:02:45