Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros has served as Team Finland's unquestioned No. 1 netminder since Tuukka Rask retired, but his continued NHL struggles are leaving the door open for Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to steal the starting job for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Saros has compiled a 2.93 goals against average and .897 save percentage across 31 starts this season. It puts him on track to finish with a SV% below .900 for the second straight year, a mark he'd finished above in each of his first eight full-time NHL campaigns.
The two-time NHL All-Star also struggled for Finland at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.