With the Nashville Predators looking more and more like sellers at the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline, Alexandre Carrier is a prime asset given the return he would receive from other teams.
The Nashville Predators are at the NHL All-Star break following a key 4-2 loss at home to the Los Angeles Kings, and they must now consider trading players like Alexandre Carrier at the upcoming March 8 deadline.
The squad had a really entertaining 13-3-0 period in November and December, and it appeared like they were ahead of schedule with their rebuild, but they have since returned to reality and are 8-10-2.
It is clear at this point that the Predators are not a Stanley Cup contender, and they must adhere to their rebuilding plans and sell at the approaching trade deadline. The trouble is, when it comes to who has a lot of value in a hypothetical trade, there aren’t many players on the squad who do.
Predators May Need to Capitalize on Carrier’s Trade Value.
Of course, Juuse Saros is in the mix, and Barry Trotz has not ruled out the idea. But as much as some fans would like to see that considering the haul he would earn, such a move is a long shot unless proven otherwise.
Tommy Novak might also bring a decent return, but the Predators would be prudent to keep him unless they are completely unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension before March 8.
However, there is one player for whom Trotz may be able to obtain valuable assets, and who is a viable option given both that and the team’s future prospects: Carrier.
When it comes to guys that other teams would legitimately trade for and whose vacancies would not stymie the club, Carrier is the Predators’ guy. He is now in his fourth full-time season in the NHL and, at 27 years old, has established himself as a quality daily defenceman.
When Carrier arrived in Nashville, he was believed to be a future star, and that hope was confirmed in the 2021-22 season, when he finished 10th in Calder Trophy voting. He also played on the first all-rookie team with Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy that year.
Carrier was expected to improve, and as someone noted for his two-way ability, he appeared to have the potential to bloom into a great powerhouse. Unfortunately, things have not gone as planned since.
Carrier has not been terrible by any means, but when you look at his offensive output over the last two years, he has fallen short of
expectations. He has only six goals and 17 assists in his last 89 appearances, and the underlying measures, at least this year, have verified that the base figures are accurate.
Carrier’s offensive numbers, such as anticipated goals, expected goals per 60 minutes, shots on goal per 60 minutes, shot attempts per 60 minutes, and on-ice expected goals per 60 minutes, have consistently been among the lowest on the club. To elaborate, the only players on the club who rank worse in that final category are Jeremy Lauzon and Cole Smith.
That metric, in particular, indicates how much the player
Carrier has had almost little impact on team offense this season. He has been pretty good defensively, and January was one of his more productive months offensively, with three goals and one assist.
A stretch like that demonstrates Carrier’s offensive potential, but he has not done enough recently for the Predators to prioritize his future as much as they should have. That being said, his recent performance and potential are enough to entice Stanley Cup contenders to deal for him.
Any win-now team that is short on defensive talent and depth would get an instant plus from trading for Carrier. And for someone like him whose development has been somewhat stagnated, it makes sense to think that a change of scenery could benefit him and another team could acquire him thinking that he could be a real future piece.
Trading Carrier Doesn’t Come Without Considerable Risks
Every decision to acquire or get rid of a player in professional sports has its pros and cons, and there is one con with Carrier that although might not be a huge deal, cannot be ignored. If the Predators are going to move on from him, they are potentially depleting the right side of their defense to a point of real concern.
Besides Carrier, the only other right-handed defensemen on the Predators are Tyson Barrie, who still looks to be on the way out, Dante Fabbro, who has never established a firm future with the team, and Luke Schenn, who is by no means a valuable piece.
Besides that, the right-handed defensemen in Milwaukee are Jack Matier, Luke Prokop, Jake Livingstone, Jordan Gross, and Roland McKeown. Out of all of those in the Predators system, the one who has the most certain future with the team is Fabbro, which again, is not very certain at this point in time.
If that does not alarm you, you should reconsider. Once again, it is not like one piece of information makes trading Carrier a death sentence, and is nowhere near enough to render him off limits.
At the end of the day, if he ends up being their most valuable trade asset among the remaining players, which appears likely, he must be shipped out if Trotz intends to sell. If Carrier and the Predators are not close to agreeing on an agreement by March 8, the organization should not hesitate.
All I’m saying is that if they make this move, they should have a plan in place to significantly strengthen their right side of the defense through free agency or another trade. You can only get away with men playing off-hand so much, so Trotz should know what he’s doing here.
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