The Nashville Predators have signed defenceman Alexandre Carrier to a three-year contract. The deal will take Carrier through the 2022-23 season. The details of the contract were announced early Wednesday afternoon.
#Preds sign defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a three-year contract worth $700,000 in the NHL or $125,000 in the AHL in 2020-21, $750,000 in the NHL or $175,000 in the AHL in 2021-22, and $750,000 in the NHL or $200,000 in the AHL in 2022-23.
— Justin Bradford (@justinbbradford) April 15, 2020
Predators Sign Alexandre Carrier
The 23-year-old Carrier has been splitting time between Nashville and the team’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. He has only played in five NHL games with no points but has been a productive option at the lower level. Carrier scored five goals and 37 points in 55 games before hockey was suspended across North America. He has 20 goals and 141 total points in 276 games in the AHL.
The Preds originally took Carrier in the fourth round of the 2015 Draft. They have seen enough steady improvement from the 5’11” defender to give him a new deal. The report on Carrier is that is a smart, heady player who wins plays with his brain as opposed to his physical stature. His skating and body control allows him to stay in good defensive positioning but also means he can help attack with the offence. Carrier has been a solid scoring option in the AHL but he might be best suited for a penalty-killing role in the NHL.
What to Expect from Carrier
Carrier needs a shot in the NHL but Nashville’s defence is among the league’s best. The Predators do have some decisions to make this summer regarding their blueline but Carrier will continue to play in the AHL when operations resume. More game time will give the young defender a chance to improve and get even stronger. Experience and strength will give Carrier a chance to be a significant contributor at the NHL level during this current deal.
NHL teams have been aggressive signing depth but Nashville has been relatively quiet. It has been almost a month since they signed several younger players. The team still has several pending free agents. Some of them should sign in the next several weeks.
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