The Nashville Predators have not had the start to the 2024-25 campaign that they were hoping for, as they have crawled out to a 7-12-5 record through their first 24 games. It was clear that the team needed to make some changes, and that led to them pulling off a small trade with the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday morning.

While Juuse Saros has been phenomenal in net for the Preds, the same cannot be said for veteran backup Scott Wedgewood, who has a save percentage of just 87.8 through his first five starts. So, Nashville attempted to shore up their goalie position by trading Wedgewood to the Avs in exchange for Justus Annunen and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.

“The Predators have acquired goaltender Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for goaltender Scott Wedgewood,” Nashville announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Colorado Avalanche goaltender Justus Annunen (60) makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at Wells Fargo Center.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Annunen has played in 11 games for the Avalanche this season, but his numbers aren't exactly better than Wedgewood's, as he has just an 87.2 save percentage on the season. Both teams decided to move in different directions with their goalie room, though, as Colorado wanted a veteran presence in Wedgewood, while Nashville was willing to take a flier on Annunen, who is only 24 years old.

On most nights, Saros will be between the pipes for the Preds, but when he isn't, Nashville wants to still have a shot at winning, which is why they went out and pulled off this trade. Chances are this won't radically change the Predators outlook, but if their small changes continue to fail to produce results, it could force the team to make some bigger moves to shake things up, which is precisely what they don't want to have to do.