The Nashville Predators have re-signed right-handed defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a three-year contract worth $3.75 million per season. The 27-year-old has 233 games of NHL experience including the postseason, all with Nashville.
Carrier, who had 20 points in 73 games in 2023-24 along with a plus-7 rating, was utilized at even strength and the penalty kill quite often but seldom got chances on the power play. Why is this signing a good one?
Carrier Is a Good Second-Pairing Defenseman
Averaging 18:48 of ice time last season, Carrier is a second-pairing defenseman. He has been solid for the Predators recently, as he has some great on-ice stats. From 2021-22 to 2023-24, his 2.53 expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) and 51.4 expected goals percentage (xGF%) ranked in the 75th and 54th percentiles respectively among the 132 defensemen who have played at least 3,000 minutes at even strength in that span.
Carrier has graded out well in all three zones, as he is a legitimately well-rounded player. His 5-foot-11, 174-pound frame might not seem all that great for a defenseman, but his lack of size is offset by his actual play on the ice. He has good vision, gets involved offensively, and is sound defensively. With how many pluses there are to his game, there isn’t much to be skeptical about.
Related: 2024 Free Agency Tracker
It doesn’t seem like Carrier is the type of player to have his game age poorly, so he should be effective for a little while longer. Objectively speaking, he was one of the more underrated defenders in the league last season and has remained so for quite some time.
Fit with Nashville
With the departure of Ryan McDonagh back in May, Nashville needed to retain some of their defense. Carrier gives them a reliable option in their top four along with Dante Fabbro, Roman Josi, and Brady Skjei, who they signed on July 1. They spent a ton of money on the first day of free agency, but they’re trying to be competitive in a strong Western Conference.
Carrier will likely continue to carry out the same role that he did in 2023-24. This isn’t the most jaw-dropping signing, but it gets the job done at the end of the day. Nashville retained an important piece of their roster here for relatively cheap. Now, it seems like they are done making splashes and are ready to roll for an exciting 2024-25 campaign.
