When the Colorado Avalanche traded Justus Annunen to the Nashville Predators during the 2024-25 season, it looked like a move between two teams searching for stability in goal.
Colorado needed a reliable presence behind Alexandar Georgiev. Nashville was hoping a change of scenery could unlock the potential of a goaltender who had shown flashes of being something more.
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A year and a half later, both teams may have gotten exactly what they needed.
Scott Wedgewood has become one of the NHL’s most dependable goaltenders in Colorado, while Annunen is coming off the best season of his career and followed it with a gold medal performance on the international stage.
The player Colorado once hoped would develop into a long-term option is now looking like a goaltender on the verge of becoming a star.
Annunen spent parts of four seasons with the Avalanche organization, arriving as a promising goaltending prospect with the size, athleticism, and potential to become an NHL regular.
Annunen did not play, but hoisted the Stanley Cup when the Avalanche won in 2022. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images
But by the end of his time in Colorado, it became clear something had to change.
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His final season with the Avalanche was difficult. Much of his workload came after Alexandar Georgiev struggled, leaving Annunen in a difficult position as he tried to find consistency while often entering games with the pressure already mounting.
Instead of continuing to fight for sporadic opportunities, Annunen needed somewhere he could play, develop, and build confidence.
That opportunity came when Colorado traded him to Nashville along with a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Scott Wedgewood.
At the time, neither goaltender had fully lived up to expectations.
Looking back, however, it may have been the perfect trade for everyone involved.
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Wedgewood immediately found his game with the Avalanche, providing the steady play Colorado needed behind its starter. Annunen received something equally important in Nashville: an opportunity to grow.
The transition wasn’t easy.
After joining the Predators, Annunen posted an .888 save percentage and a 3.17 goals-against average while playing behind a Nashville team that struggled defensively. The Predators allowed 3.34 goals per game, ranking among the worst defensive teams in the NHL.
Those numbers were not an accurate reflection of Annunen’s ability.
Even the beginning of the 2025-26 season was a challenge. Through his first six starts, he recorded an .857 save percentage and a 3.83 goals-against average.
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Then, something changed.
Starting with a 30-save performance against the Washington Capitals in his first start of 2026, Annunen began to settle in. The confidence grew, the performances improved, and by the end of the season, he looked like a completely different goaltender.
Annunen appeared in a career-high 28 games, posting a 10-12-2 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
Those were career-best numbers for Annunen in any season where he appeared in at least 20 games.
He also delivered one of the best performances of his NHL career, stopping all 43 shots he faced to record Nashville’s first shutout in more than a year.
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“I thought Big Juice was outstanding,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters after the win. “We’ve had a lot of [shutouts] that slipped away and they weren’t going to let this one go for Big Juice. He’s been put in real tough scenarios. I think they all wanted to get him a shutout.”
The momentum carried over beyond the NHL season.
Annunen earned the starting role for Finland at the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship and delivered when his country needed him most.
He was perfect in the gold medal game, stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime victory against Switzerland to secure the championship for Finland.
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The victory came against Predators captain Roman Josi, who captained Switzerland to a silver medal.
Annunen finished the tournament with a 7-1-0 record, a 1.47 goals-against average, and a .933 save percentage while serving as Finland’s starter.
For a goaltender who spent much of the previous year trying to establish himself, it was another reminder that his ceiling may be much higher than many originally thought.
His development also caught the attention of Chris MacFarland.
Now Nashville’s general manager, MacFarland knows Annunen better than most. He was part of the Avalanche front office that helped oversee his development before ultimately trading him to the Predators.
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“I’m not surprised that Justus came here and found his game with his commitment and work,” MacFarland said. “I think the goaltending department here has done some really good work and it allowed him to develop, stretch his wings a little bit.”
That may become one of the biggest storylines for Nashville heading into next season.
Juuse Saros has been the Predators’ unquestioned starter for the last five seasons, but 2025-26 was easily one of the most difficult years of his career.
In 59 games, Saros posted a 28-22-8 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Annunen enters the offseason with confidence, momentum, and a two-year contract extension signed in January.
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Nashville doesn’t need to rush into replacing Saros, but it may make sense to give Annunen a much larger role next season. A true rotation between the two goaltenders could allow both players to stay fresh while giving the Predators a better evaluation of what they have.
But if Annunen continues playing at this level, the conversation could change quickly.
Starting goaltenders rarely emerge overnight. They earn that opportunity through consistency, confidence, and proving they can handle the pressure.
Annunen is doing exactly that.
If he takes another step forward, Saros could eventually become one of the most intriguing names on the trade market next season.
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It may not happen. It may not even be the direction Nashville wants to go.
But for the first time, there is a legitimate question surrounding the Predators crease.
Who is the future in net?
Colorado believed Annunen had that potential when they drafted and developed him. Nashville gave him the chance to finally prove it.
The trade worked out exactly as both sides hoped.
The Avalanche found a dependable veteran in Wedgewood, who has played the best hockey of his career in Colorado.
Annunen found something just as valuable in Nashville: opportunity.
Now, the potential Colorado once saw is finally turning into production.
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