Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently said on 102.5 The Game that he expects the Nashville Predators to move one or two defensemen at some point. He followed this statement by saying he didn’t believe Luke Schenn would be one of those on the way out. This recent report adds to the rumblings Friedman has mentioned on the 32 Thoughts Podcast and through his tweets regarding the team’s defense corps.
While the Predators are on fire as of late, winning five of their last six, they are clearly unhappy with their blue line. Additionally, they have four right-shot defensemen on their roster, three of whom have contracts expiring at the end of this season, which leaves lots of room for tinkering. Let’s look at these three defencemen, whose names might be on the chopping block.
Tyson Barrie
Tyson Barrie is the easy, obvious, and likely correct candidate to skate in another sweater in the coming months. The Predators reportedly gave Barrie’s camp permission at the beginning of the month to speak with other teams, and he is the clear favorite to be moved by the Trade Deadline.
Barrie has found himself a healthy scratch numerous times since this report came out. His on-ice play this season has not lived up to expectations, making an eventual trade make all the more sense for the Predators. He’s recorded 10 assists through 25 games while struggling on the defensive end. He has a 44.82% Corsi For and a 45.38% expected goals for at five-on-five, both are bottom-five among Predators players.
Despite his subpar season, Barrie’s contract — one year remaining, $4.5 million cap hit — makes him easily tradeable. They might not get much for him, but come the Trade Deadline, it’s easy to assume teams will be interested in adding a right-shot power play specialist to boost their offense.
Dante Fabbro
Dante Fabbro is a name that has carried trade speculation for some time now. Sportsnet reported that the Predators were taking calls on the defensemen before last season’s Trade Deadline. Obviously, no trade transpired, but it does leave him as a potential trade candidate.
The former 2016 first-round pick has yet to develop into a top-four defenseman. He seemed to be turning a corner in the 2021-22 season, where he set a career-high in assists (21) and points (24), but has regressed since. This season, he’s has been scratched multiple times and only has seven points (two goals and five assists) through 24 games.
Fabbro carries a $2.5 million cap hit that expires after this season, meaning if the Predators are finally willing to part from him, there will likely be takers. Some were speculating the Vancouver Canucks might be interested in the British Columbia native, but after the Nikita Zadorov trade, that ship might have sailed.
Alexandre Carrier
Alexandre Carrier is the third and final right-shot NHL defenseman with a contract expiring following this season. Like Fabbro, he carries a $2.5 million cap hit but is outplaying his teammate. Carrier leads all Predators in blocked shots (58), contributes to the penalty kill, and seems to have found a home playing alongside Jeremy Lauzon. He can also chip in offensively, sporting nine points (one goal, eight assists) through 25 games.
Carrier being the odd man out feels unlikely. However, given he has one year left and a cheap cap hit, the Predators may find him expendable if deals don’t arise for Barrie or Fabbro. Regardless, unless a deal that’s too good to pass up for general manager Barry Trotz and company comes along, Carrier will likely be in a Predators uniform until the season’s end.
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A Barrie deal feels inevitable. While he’s struggled through the season’s first quarter, he has the talent to turn it around. As for the potential second defenseman Friedman mentioned, Fabbro and Carrier are the obvious candidates. However, fans should expect a more precise picture in the coming months as the Trade Deadline approaches.
Advanced stats taken from NaturalStatTrick
