Free Agents: The CH Will Have a Problem… Named Alexandre Carrier

Marc-Olivier Cook
Free Agents: The CH Will Have a Problem… Named Alexandre Carrier
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

Alexandre Carrier has proven himself.

He's one of the Canadiens' key players on defense and brings stability to the team's blue line.

But we're also talking about a player who is currently in the final year of his contract. And we have to wonder what Kent Hughes's plan is for the Quebec native moving forward.

There's one factor that could hurt the Canadiens, as Marco D'Amico explained: Carrier becomes a unrestricted free agent on July 1… and he'll likely have the opportunity to cash in big.

Because the market for right-handed defensemen will be very thin, Carrier is likely to become a big fish on the free-agent market. And that's what could ultimately hurt the Canadiens.

Marco D'Amico is referring to the fact that there won't be many right-handed defensemen on the market next summer. And that's true when you look at the list. Notable names include:

  • Erik Karlsson
  • Drew Doughty
  • Justin Faulk
  • Rasmus Ristolainen
  • Artem Zub
  • Brandon Carlo
  • Jalen Chatfield
  • Alexandre Carrier (*)

There are some interesting names among these guys. But there are also players who are getting older, like Karlsson, Doughty, Faulk, and Ristolainen.

And if Carrier plays his cards right, all signs point to him landing a big contract that will pay him significantly more than his current salary ($3.75 million per season)… 

So it will be interesting to see how the Canadiens handle this situation. Would Carrier, who's from Quebec, be interested in leaving money on the table to stay in Montreal?

At age 30, will he want to take advantage of his last chance to sign a big contract elsewhere in the National Hockey League?

In this context, we have to mention David Reinbacher… who is also right-handed and should one day earn playing time in the NHL. But for now, this looks set to be quite a headache for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens to sort out.


In a Nutshell

– That would be sensational!

– Um…

– When things go wrong!

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