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Alexandre Carrier

Canadiens Acquire Alexandre Carrier

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The Canadiens and Predators have swapped blueliners before Thursday’s roster freeze.  Montreal has acquired Alexandre Carrier from Nashville in exchange for defenseman Justin Barron.  Both teams have announced the deal.

Carrier is in his seventh NHL season, all of which came with Nashville after they drafted him in the fourth round back in 2015.  He has gone from a depth defender to one counted on inside their top four.

However, the 28-year-old hasn’t been able to duplicate his 2021-22 performance that saw him land a spot on the All-Rookie Team.  That year, Carrier had 30 points and 124 blocks in 77 games while logging nearly 21 minutes a night of ice time.  He only managed 29 points in the following two seasons and has seven in 28 outings this season while averaging just over 20 minutes per game.  Carrier is currently dealing with an upper-body injury but is believed to be ready to return to the lineup, relays TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link).

Carrier had a chance to test unrestricted free agency for the first time this past summer but instead elected to remain in Nashville, inking a three-year, $11.25MM deal that runs through the 2026-27 campaign.  With David Savard being a pending unrestricted free agent and a speculative trade candidate as a result, it stands to reason that Carrier will eventually take his role as the veteran option on the right side of Montreal’s back end, ensuring they’ll have one experienced player on that side beyond this season.

As for Barron, the 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Colorado back in 2020, going 25th overall.  It’s the second time in his career that he’s been on the move after he was the centerpiece of the package that the Canadiens acquired in exchange for winger Artturi Lehkonen back at the 2022 trade deadline.

At the time, Montreal was hoping that he’d become a key cog on their back end for years to come.  However, while Barron has shown flashes of being a capable NHL player, he has struggled with consistency.  Last season, despite a stint with AHL Laval, he collected seven goals and six assists in 48 games while averaging 18:38 per game and it appeared as if he’d turned a corner in his development.  That earned him a two-year, $2.3MM bridge deal this past summer.

Unfortunately for Barron and the Canadiens, that hasn’t been the case this season.  He has been a frequent healthy scratch over the first two-plus months of the year, only getting into 17 of 31 games.  In those outings, he has been limited to just one goal (without recording any assists) while his playing time has dropped to just 14:43 per game.

This move gives Nashville a younger player to try to turn into a full-time piece while saving the team $2.6MM on the salary cap.  Barron will also still have two years of team control when his deal expires while Carrier will be an unrestricted free agent when his contract is up.  With the Preds struggling much more than many expected this season, it will be interesting to see if GM Barry Trotz has any plans to quickly utilize those cap savings with the roster freeze approaching or if he’ll wait until the new year to try to add another piece to their roster.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Predators Announce Roster Moves With Roman Josi Out

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The Nashville Predators have recalled Milwaukee Admirals captain Kevin Gravel. He is expected to step into the lineup on Thursday to fill in for Predators captain Roman Josi. Josi left Nashville’s Tuesday loss to Calgary roughly halfway through the first period. He returned a few moments later, and took three more shifts, but left again before the first period ended. Josi has since been announced as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury by the team.

Nashville made room for Gravel’s recall by placing defender Alexandre Carrier on injured reserve. Carrier was designated as week-to-week with an upper-body injury earlier this week. He hasn’t played since December 7th, meaning he’ll be eligible to return as soon as Saturday – though his designation suggests a longer absence.

Josi’s absence adds to a mounting injury list for the Predators. Their blue line is down multiple key pieces, with Jeremy Lauzon and Spencer Stastney joining Josi and Carrier on the absentee list. That’s left summer signee Brady Skjei as the sole pillar of the defense, with Luke Schenn, Marc Del Gaizo, and Adam Wilsby as his top supports.

They’ve already struggled with Carrier and Lauzon out – posting a league-worst 0-2-0 record and four-to-seven goal differential since the former left the lineup. Now, the test gets harder – with the most utilized Predator now at risk of missing a few games with his day-to-day designation. Josi has a team-leading 23 points in 29 games this season while averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time – over three minutes more than any other Predators skater. Josi is one year removed from a 23-goal, 85-point season where he played in all 82 games, and only four years removed from a 96-point year in 2021-22. He’s proven one of the best Swiss players to grace the NHL, and his absence leaves a glaring hole in every aspect of Nashville’s lineup.

Gravel won’t fill in Josi’s hole one-for-one, but he will offer the stout veteran presence of a 12-year pro. Much of Gravel’s career has been spent in the AHL, where he won a Calder Cup with the Manchester Monarchs in 2015 and the Bakersfield Condors in 2021. He joined the Predators organization in 2022 – suiting up for his sixth AHL club in Milwaukee the sixth AHL team, and his fourth NHL club in Nashville. Gravel appeared in 23 games of Nashville’s 2022-23 season, contributing one assist, two penalties, and a -10 from a limited role. He’s since spent all his time in with the Admirals, totaling 28 points and a +4 through 132 games and three seasons. He was named Milwaukee’s captain last season, and carried the title into this year. Now, Gravel will be called upon to support the top club amidst injuries to an overabundance of talent.

Predators’ Alexandre Carrier Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury

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There’s another injury on the Nashville Predators’ blue line. Senior content manager for the team, Brooks Bratton, reports that defenseman Alexandre Carrier is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Carrier played in Nashville’s recent game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday but left the contest in the third period after getting hit. He finished that game with zero points, a -1 rating, four blocks, and two hits in 15:39 of ice time.

He’s in the midst of a down season compared to his career averages. Carrier already has 26 giveaways through 28 games on the year, just 13 shy of his 39 through 77 games during the 2021-22 NHL season. He’s also produced a career-low +/-, CorsiFor%, and on-ice save percentage in all situations in his seven-year career.

Carrier was also on the sixth-worst defensive-pairing (for pairings that have played 150 or more minutes together) in terms of xGoals%. According to MoneyPuck, the duo of Carrier and Jeremy Lauzon combined for a 40.9% xGoals% over 242.9 minutes together.

Head coach Andrew Brunette had finally split the defensive pairing in recent games but will now be without both for the foreseeable future. The Predators haven’t made a corresponding roster move but one should come before their game tomorrow night against the Calgary Flames. Nashville now has six healthy defensemen on the roster.

Predators Receiving Interest In Alexandre Carrier

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After an extremely busy offseason that saw the Predators add several key veteran contributors, expectations were quite high heading into the year.  However, they’re off to a sluggish 6-11-3 start to the season and while they’d like to add to their roster, it appears that teams are calling about one of their veterans as well.  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Nashville is receiving inquiries about the potential availability of blueliner Alexandre Carrier.

The 28-year-old was a speculative trade candidate last season when he was playing on a one-year, $2.5MM contract.  However, Nashville had an exceptional second half including an 18-game point streak, resulting in them vaulting up the standings and going from being potential sellers to light buyers at the trade deadline.  Carrier went on to finish the year with 20 points in 73 games and added three more in six playoff contests.

It looked like Carrier was heading toward testing the opening market but just before free agency opened up, the two sides agreed to a three-year, $11.25MM front-loaded contract.  He’s making $4.6MM in salary this season relative to his $3.75MM cap charge.

As is the case with a lot of Nashville’s veterans, things haven’t gone quite as planned for Carrier this season.  He has a goal and four assists in 20 games while logging over 20 minutes a night but his pairing with Jeremy Lauzon has struggled to keep the puck out of the defensive zone and with the Preds believed to be open to adding to their back end, it stands to reason that they’re hoping to upgrade on this particular pairing.

With a track record of being a reliable and steady fourth or fifth defender and the fact he’s a right-shot player, the Predators should have some interest if they decide to make Carrier available.  Whether that’s part of a bigger move or a smaller side deal remains to be seen but GM Barry Trotz will have to decide if Carrier is still as important to their plans as it seemed he was just a few months ago.

Predators Re-Sign Alexandre Carrier To Three-Year Deal

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As alluded to yesterday, the Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a three-year, $11.25MM contract per a team announcement. By retaining Carrier over the next three years, the Predators organization continues its drive to build a contending roster for the 2024-25 NHL season.

It’s a nice bit of security for the 27-year-old, who spent last season on a one-year prove-it deal. Prove it he did, providing serviceable top-four minutes with 20 points and a +7 rating in 73 games.

Carrier won’t ever likely return to the 30-point form while averaging nearly 21 minutes per game that earned him a spattering of Calder Trophy votes a few years back, but he’s certainly an everyday NHLer with some upward mobility in the lineup. He demonstrated that clearly in the playoffs, upping his ice time to over 21 minutes per game in the first round against the Canucks and showcasing solid offensive instincts with a goal and two assists in six games.

Given the price tag ($3.75MM cap hit), the Predators likely expect Carrier to compete for a top-four spot on the right side, likely on a new-look second pairing with Brady Skjei to his left. It would likely result in some more offensive usage for Carrier, who’s been used in shutdown situations at even strength more than you’d think. Over 60% of his zone starts at even strength came in the defensive end last season, a career-high.

He’ll become a UFA upon expiry of his new deal in 2027.

Predators Nearing Agreement With Alexandre Carrier

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Defenseman Alexandre Carrier won’t be hitting the open market on Monday after all.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are close to finalizing a new contract.  Terms of the potential agreement have not been disclosed.

After a rough 2022-23 showing, the 27-year-old had a nice bounce-back effort this past season.  Carrier played in 73 games, scoring a career-best four goals while adding 16 assists and a career-high 137 blocked shots while logging a little under 19 minutes a night.  He was one of their most-used penalty killers, averaging more than two minutes a night shorthanded.  He added a goal and two assists with 19 blocks in six playoff contests where his ATOI jumped to over 21 minutes per game.

For his career, Carrier has played in 217 NHL games, all with Nashville who drafted him in the fourth round (115th overall) back in 2015.  He has just 10 goals and 52 assists to his name but has become an effective shot blocker and defensive blueliner, even earning a spot on the All-Rookie team back in 2021-22.

Carrier played on a one-year, $2.5MM deal in 2023-24, an agreement that gave him a nice raise based on his play the past couple of years while giving the Preds a chance to walk away if he couldn’t get back to his form from a couple of years ago.  Since he was able to rebound nicely, Carrier should be in line for a nice raise and a multi-year pact this time around.

Central Notes: Cogliano, Carrier, Rossi

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Avalanche winger Andrew Cogliano has played on one-year deals in each of the last three seasons and with his 17th NHL campaign ending at the conclusion of Colorado’s playoffs, there are questions about whether he’ll continue playing.  Speaking with Kyle Frederickson of The Denver Gazette, the 36-year-old indicated that he’s hopeful to stick around but also wants to see how things go in the postseason and go from there.  Cogliano logged a career-low 10:37 per game during the regular season but was fairly productive despite the low ice time, notching 19 points in 75 contests while adding four assists in six playoff appearances despite barely logging nine minutes a night.

More from the Central:

  • Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier is set to hit unrestricted free agency in July but Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game notes that there was a bit of dialogue between the two sides about an extension earlier in the season and that his desire is to remain in Nashville. The 27-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22 and has been an important part of their back end since then.  Carrier had 20 points and 137 blocks in 73 games with the Preds this season and is well-positioned to receive a multi-year deal this summer with a raise from the $2.5MM he made on his set-to-expire deal.
  • Despite a strong first full NHL season, Minnesota is believed to be open to offers on center Marco Rossi, reports Anthony DiMarco of The Fourth Period. The 22-year-old potted 21 goals and 19 assists in 82 games while logging a little under 17 minutes, a solid rookie campaign for the ninth overall pick in 2020.  This doesn’t appear to be a case where the Wild are shopping Rossi but rather one where they’re open to the idea of a ‘hockey trade’ where they’re getting a quality piece back.  Notably, Rossi has another year left on his entry-level deal and with one more year of expensive cap charges on the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts (before the charges drop considerably for 2025-26 and beyond), they would likely be looking for a similarly-priced contract if they were to part with him.

Central Notes: Carrier, Koch, Khusnutdinov, Coyotes

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Earlier this morning, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun commented that everything was still on the table in regards to Nashville Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier. Taking a mixed approach to the trade deadline, the Predators have resigned Thomas Novak, and brought in Anthony Beauvillier and Jaret Anderson-Dolan, while shipping out Yakov Trenin.

Much like they did with their other rental options this past week, the Predators are weighing the option of signing Carrier to an extension, trading him, or using him as their rental. With less than 24 hours leading up to the trade deadline, Nashville does not have the luxury of time to make their decision.

As far as his value compared to other moves that have been made already this deadline season, the Predators could conceivably command a second-round pick for Carrier’s services. In 58 games for Nashville this season, Carrier has scored four goals and 19 points, averaging just under 18 and a half minutes a night.

Other Central notes:

  • After sending veteran defenseman Troy Stecher to the Edmonton Oilers earlier today, the Arizona Coyotes opened up a roster spot on their blue line. To fill the void, the team opted to recall defenseman Patrik Koch according to a team announcement. In his first season in professional hockey in North America, Koch has only played for the Coyotes AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, suiting up in 47 games this year, scoring 11 points overall.
  • Now over a week since the Minnesota Wild signed forward Marat Khusnutdinov to an entry-level contract, it appears the organization has found some clarity on when he will eventually make his debut with the club. Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that Khusnutdinov’s visa issues have been worked out with the United States, and he will join the team for practice on Saturday.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have shared that Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba will both sit out of the team’s Thursday night game for trade-related reasons. Both players have been focal pieces of Arizona’s assets this Deadline, with the team now acknowledging their chances of moving. They are both in their first season with the Coyotes, with Zucker scoring nine goals and 25 points in 51 games and Dumba totaling 10 points in 58 games. The two were previously teammates with the Minnesota Wild from 2013 to 2020, before Zucker joined the Pittsburgh Penguins for four seasons.

West Notes: Byfield, Lewis, Carrier

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Kings forward Quinton Byfield is expected to return Wednesday against the Predators, team editorial content manager Zach Dooley reports. The 21-year-old missed the last two games with an illness and was listed as day-to-day.

In doing so, he’s projected to reclaim his spot on the first line alongside Anže Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. It’s been a breakout season for the 2020 second-overall pick, who’s set career highs with 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points through 45 games. He’s tied for fourth on the team in scoring with Trevor Moore and is averaging over 15 minutes per game for the first time in a full season.

Unfortunately, underwhelming play from the rest of the squad has the Kings reeling. The team is 2-8-6 in their last 16 games and is now in a three-way tie for the two Western Conference Wild Card spots with the Blues and Predators. That makes Byfield’s return tonight a key piece of news ahead of Los Angeles’ most consequential game of the season thus far.

The 6-foot-5, 225-lb pound forward is in the final season of his entry-level contract and is a pending RFA. His next deal will undoubtedly take up a decent chunk of LA’s projected $22.5MM in cap space next season (via CapFriendly).

Other notes ahead of tonight’s Kings-Preds showdown on national TV in the United States:

  • Dooley also reports that depth forward Trevor Lewis is questionable for tonight after missing practice with an undisclosed injury Tuesday. Lewis skated this morning, but Dooley called his availability “wait and see.” The 37-year-old has five goals and nine points in 47 games this season after returning to his former squad on a one-year, $775K deal in free agency. Lewis was the Kings’ second of two first-round picks in 2006 and was a member of both the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup-winning teams. While he hasn’t produced much offense, he’s been quite effective in a shutdown role for his league-minimum deal. Centering Blake Lizotte (currently injured) and Carl Grundström on the Kings’ fourth line, the trio has produced an expected goals share of 57.1%, per MoneyPuck. They’ve limited opponents to 2.09 expected goals against per 60 minutes, the lowest among any Los Angeles forward line with over 100 minutes together.
  • Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier will be a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury, head coach Andrew Brunette said (via 102.5 ESPN Nashville’s Nick Kieser). Carrier, 27, skated 8:01 against the Senators on Monday before leaving the game in the second period. If he draws in, it’s projected to be a second-pairing role alongside Ryan McDonagh. A 2015 fourth-round pick, the Predators re-signed Carrier to a one-year, $2.5MM deal last summer to walk him to UFA status next July. He’s rebounding well from a difficult 2022-23 campaign, posting four goals and 10 assists in 46 games while controlling 50% of Corsi events at even strength. His ice time is up slightly, averaging 18:09 per game compared to last season’s 17:53.

Injury Notes: Novak, Carrier, Goodrow, Kreider, Martin

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The Nashville Predators have activated Thomas Novak off of injured reserve. The 26-year-old has been out of action since November 14th with an upper-body injury. Nashville’s head coach, Andrew Brunette, suggested that Novak could return soon, saying, “I think Novak, depending on when I go back and see how his [injury] has healed… if he feels better, I think he’ll go.” 

Both Novak and Alexandre Carrier returned to the Predators’ practice on Thursday. Carrier is working back from an upper-body injury suffered on a hit from Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov.

Novak has appeared in 14 games with the Predators this season, scoring six goals and 12 points and recording six penalty minutes. Carrier has appeared in 22 games of his own, recording eight points and 12 penalty minutes. The Predators drafted Novak and Carrier with consecutive picks in the 2015 NHL Draft, taking Novak in the third round and Carrier in the fourth round. Carrier has scored 50 points through 166 career NHL games, while Novak has totaled 62 points in 92 games of his own.

Other injury notes from around the league:

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