Rumor: Pekka Rinne Leaving the Nashville Predators

When the Nashville Predators decided they were going to listen to trade offers on some of their star players this season, one name you weren't allowed to ask about was long-time goaltender Pekka Rinne. Management wanted Rinne to finish his career in Nashville, however it turns out the netminder might actually be finishing his playing career back home in Finland.

According to reports out of Finland, Rinne could be signing with Oulun Karpat to play for at least next season. Here's more from the report that looks like Rinne could be heading back to where it all began:

In a story published on May 6th, Harri Aho, the Sports Director for Karpat, mentioned they were in “active conversations” with Pekka Rine about joining their team following Rinne’s departure from the NHL. The story goes on to mention that Rinne has not indicated whether 2020-21 will be his final year in the NHL. Rinne played for Oulun Karpat between 2000 and 2005, developing as a young goalie behind fellow Finnish NHLer, Niklas Backstrom. After being drafted in 2004 by the Nashville Predators, Rinne left Karpat for the NHL, beginning his eventual 15-year career for the Preds.

The 38-year-old goaltender is in the final season of his contract and is an unrestricted free-agent next season. The Preds have Juuse Saros who is 26, and ready to be the permanent #1 goalie. They've basically split the work this season with Saros seeing a slightly busier workload. Rinne has appeared in 23 games for the Predators, posting a 2.97 GAA and a .902 save %. If this is truly the end, Rinne leaves the NHL as one of the best goaltenders of his era and someone who made his mark both on and off the ice in Nashville.