Nashville Predators Pekka Rinne Uncertain On Next Move

The Nashville Predators didn't make goaltender Pekka Rinne available at this season's trade deadline as they wanted the long-time goaltender to finish his career in Nashville. Turns out that may not be the case at all.

Rinne spoke with the media on Wednesday and admitted he's enjoying his time away from the game right now and is spending lots of time with his family. He's uncertain what the future holds which could include playing for the Preds, playing for another NHL team, or playing professionally in his native land of Finland.

Last season the 38-year-old appeared in 24 games and provided some decent production, holding a 2.84GAA and a .907 save %. He shared duties with Juuse Saros, and both goaltenders are free-agents this offseason, leaving the Predators with some major decisions this summer. The goalie market is going to be one of the hottest we've seen in recent years, and the Predators could easily end up with a new starting netminder next season. One team to watch out for is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are looking to adding a veteran to pair with Tristan Jarry.

Pekka Rinne: "To be honest, I want to give it some time to think about things with my family about what I want to do. I’m not ready to make a decision yet. I am not stressing; I am in a good place." pic.twitter.com/Br5W9tIMAV
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) June 2, 2021

It's great to hear Rinne's in a great head space and will take this summer to evaluate his options and make the best decision for himself and his family. There's no doubt the Predators would welcome him back at a reasonable cap hit, but early odds have him playing for another team next season.

Pekka Rinne on what he's considering when thinking of retirement, but reiterating that he's not made a decision yet. #Preds pic.twitter.com/xSnKZdjNaV
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) June 2, 2021