Every time a player is traded, one might wonder why their former team let them go. It’s legitimate to ask, after all.
In the case of Alexandre Carrier, it’s becoming clearer that in Nashville, amidst the Preds’ challenging start to the season, something had to change.
And the $3.75 million per year for the Quebecer (which is not a concern for the Canadiens’ salary cap) is clearly part of the answer. Jim Biringer (Responsible Gambler) has pointed this out.
The Predators are clearing cap space for something.
We don’t know yet what or when, but Barry Trotz, who insists his team is not in a rebuild, wants to shake things up in Tennessee.
I’m looking forward to seeing that.
What’s next for the Predators? Despite disappointment, Barry Trotz says: ‘We’re not selling off’
There is no rebuild coming. The Preds will be aggressive next summer trying to add and want to bounce back next season. My latest for @TheAthletic https://t.co/FBRCogRUrZ
This all explains Carrier’s presence in Montreal. The Canadiens took advantage of a situation in Nashville—both on the ice and in terms of salary cap—to add a good piece moving forward.
On that note, Pierre McGuire has been very complimentary of Carrier in an episode of his podcast: The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test.
Pierre McGuire is a big fan of new #GoHabsGo defensemen Alex Carrier and even tried to get him when he was working with Ottawa
In short, the Canadiens (who do not want to sink) have acquired, according to McGuire, a defender with elite skills to move the puck. He sees him as a top-4 player.
McGuire even mentioned that during his time with the Ottawa Senators (i.e., in 2021-2022), he attempted to convince his bosses to pursue Alexandre Carrier.
He was then in player development, and Carrier, in 2021-2022, played his first full season in the National Hockey League.
But now, here’s the defender in an environment where he can thrive. He will get playing time, and if he performs up to his talent, Martin St-Louis will give him plenty of ice time.
My story on the Canadiens not looking at Alexandre Carrier as a «short-term fix» after acquiring the 28-year-old defenceman from the Nashville Predators on Wednesday in exchange for Justin Barron #Habs#HabsIO: https://t.co/1mFK2YT6aQ
Jakub Dobes, Filip Mesar and Vincent Arseneau are all back for the Rocket tonight against Belleville. We will have to wait a little longer for Brandon Gignac, who is nearing a return. Riley Kidney and Sean Farrell will be scratched from Pascal Vincent’s lineup tonight.
The arrival of Alexandre Carrier changes the game in Montreal.
After all, on the blue line, the team replaced a right-handed player without an identity on the ice (Justin Barron) with a guy who is less offensive but much more stable.
And between you and me, Barron’s offense was sadly not really visible anymore.
If I were Martin St-Louis, tonight, I would keep Lane Hutson with Mike Matheson, I would put Kaiden Guhle with Alexandre Carrier, and I would play Arber Xhekaj with David Savard.
These are six guys, until proven otherwise, who are hard to take out of the lineup.
But you know, as well as I do, that the Canadiens have seven defensemen in town. The seventh is Jayden Struble – or the guy who lost the most following Justin Barron’s trade to Nashville.
Naturally, we see that Struble better secure his hat because his playing time will diminish like snow in the sun – unless there’s an injury and nothing changes, of course.
Before, Barron and he alternated. But now? I’m not saying that Arber Xhekaj or David Savard won’t occasionally give up their spot, but clearly, Struble is the odd one out.
And the Canadiens can’t even say they will send him to Laval because due to the age at which he signed in the NHL and his 78 games of experience in the show, he can no longer avoid waivers. That’s what Anthony Desaulniers said this morning on BPM Sports.
For the past eight games, he simply can no longer go down without being offered for free to other teams. And knowing Kent Hughes, he is not going to place Struble on waivers – with good reason.
The only defensemen who can go down right now are Guhle, Hutson, and Xhekaj. That won’t happen in any of the three cases.
(Credit: Cap Wages)
This means that the Canadiens have seen the situation develop and chose not to send him to Laval in recent weeks to maintain his eligibility. He is, until proven otherwise, an NHL player.
I wonder if the CH did this by choice… or because no one deserves a call-up to Laval’s blue line.
Right now, Struble, Michael Pezzetta, and Cayden Primeau are in the following position: they can’t go to Laval without risking waivers, they have shortcomings in their game, and they have six better defensemen, twelve better forwards, and one better goaltender ahead of them, respectively.
I wouldn’t be completely surprised if the lineup doesn’t change during the last three games before Christmas and that Struble, Pezz, and Primeau are still the odd ones out. To be continued.
1. Top-5: “The Senators will make the playoffs because of Linus Ullmark”
Having a good goalie makes a difference.
The Senators are learning this, as Linus Ullmark is on fire. In his last seven games, he has not lost a game, an efficiency rating of .967, a goals-against average of 0.99, and an assist.
SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2024/03/03: Torpedo Hockey Club player, Bogdan Konyushkov (6) seen in action during the match of the Kontinental Hockey League, Gagarin Cup, match 2, 1/8 finals season KHL 2023 - 2024 between SKA Saint Petersburg and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod at the SKA Arena. (Final score: SKA Saint Petersburg 3:2 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Kent Hughes has been in Russia for a few days to visit Ivan Demidov.
Let’s say that the young prospect of the Canadiens knows how to impress his bosses, having managed to score while playing less than 10 minutes in Thursday’s game.
Since Hughes is on another continent, it was Jeff Gorton who met with the media on Thursday evening to discuss the trade that brought Alexandre Carrier to Montreal. Even though the number one topic was Carrier, Gorton did not escape two questions about his colleague’s trip to Russia.
The executive vice president of hockey operations for the Canadiens revealed that Hughes was not only there to see one prospect of the CH during this trip.
Jeff Gorton addresses the media following the acquisition of defenseman Alexandre Carrier
In his response, Gorton stated that it was an opportunity for Kent Hughes to see “more than one player”. The list of Canadiens prospects in Russia is quite short once Demidov’s name is removed.
It is known that Hughes attended Thursday’s game between SKA St. Petersburg and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. The latter team includes Bogdan Konyushkov among its ranks, a defenseman drafted by the Canadiens in 2023.
Kent Hughes was able to see him in action at the same time as Demidov, who was the most used defenseman for Torpedo with 23:20 of ice time. He finished the game with a -1 plus/minus and one blocked shot.
Thus, it was a good opportunity for Hughes to make his prospect happy by going to meet him.
The only other prospect who might have received a visit is Yevgeni Volokhin. However, that would be surprising, as the last game for the Sochi goalie was Wednesday and he wasn’t even a starter. He came in as a backup midway through the game.
Makar Khanin was another option. That would also be quite surprising, as the Canadiens’ seventh-round pick in 2024 has only played three games in the KHL since the start of the season.
Justin Barron did not request a trade
Jeff Gorton was asked a lot of questions about Alexandre Carrier on Thursday, in addition to answering two others about Kent Hughes’ trip to Russia.
He took the time to clarify that Justin Barron had never requested a trade from the Canadiens.
There have never really been any rumors about this, but it could have been a possibility since Barron was often left out by Martin St. Louis.
Barron has only played 17 of the Canadiens’ 31 games since the beginning of the season.
Gorton was ready to part with a young defenseman like Barron. He felt that the defensive corps needed players with more NHL experience to achieve greater success.
For the first time since yesterday’s trade, Alexandre Carrier spoke with the media of the Montreal Canadiens.
And right from the start, there is one particular thing that stands out in his comments.
The guy is happy.
Throughout almost his entire press conference, the defender had a huge smile attached to his face.
It says a lot, and it really shows that he is pleased with the turn of events. It was a dream for him to someday play for the Montreal Canadiens.
Carrier wasn’t going to say otherwise, but he is ready to do whatever it takes to find success in Montreal. Because according to him, all Quebecers want to play for the CH:
Everyone wants to play for the Canadiens when you’re a Quebecer. – Alexandre Carrier
Defender Alexandre Carrier addresses the media for the first time since being acquired by Montreal
Defenseman Alexandre Carrier addresses the media for the first time since being acquired by Montreal#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/X7yfVg4ceF
Alexandre Carrier touched on several topics during his first press conference for the CH.
Here’s what I gathered:
1. The defender trains in Montreal during the summer and he already knows several guys in the Canadiens’ locker room.
He also mentioned receiving several texts from the guys (he named Savard, Matheson, and Suzuki), and he can’t wait to meet his new teammates.
2. Alexandre Carrier wants to bring his own personality into the Canadiens’ locker room. It’s an adjustment for him because it’s the first time he’s switching teams since the beginning of his career, but he is looking forward to meeting his new teammates.
And considering how he has a great personality, let’s just say he shouldn’t have any trouble integrating into the group.
The atmosphere is already excellent in the locker room right now:
It’s becoming a routine.
Arber and Struble are dropping the gloves playfully after practice. And you have Guhle cheering them on like he’s their big brother
3. For now, the defender hasn’t spoken to Martin St-Louis yet.
He doesn’t know what his role will look like in the lineup, but we’ll have a better idea of all that tomorrow night.
He will play his first game with the Canadiens in Detroit. He has received the green light to play after recovering from an injury against the Senators on December 7.
4. There’s a really interesting aspect in the defender’s comments: before leaving, he went to talk to Steven Stamkos.
The former captain of the Lightning praised Martin St-Louis’s qualities and told him he was going to have fun playing for the CH’s coach.
Carrier claims that several other players told him the same thing.
5. For the first time in eight years, Carrier will be able to spend the holiday season in Quebec.
It will be special for him because he will have the chance to see his family:
Alexandre Carrier: “I haven’t spent Christmas in Quebec for 8 years. It will really be special.”
Once again, we felt his wonderful energy and it’s clear that he is really happy to join the CH organization.
That’s great… Because a Quebecer who wants to push himself to the maximum is always very appreciated by the fans in Montreal.
In a nutshell
– I agree.
Listening to Alexandre Carrier, it won’t be long before he becomes a fan favorite in Montreal. Super nice personality. A young man who’s smiling, intelligent in his responses. The gentlemen and ladies will adore him!
NEWARK, NJ - NOVEMBER 25: Alexandre Carrier #45 de los Nashville Predators patina en el primer período del juego contra los New Jersey Devils en el Prudential Center el 25 de noviembre de 2024 en Newark, Nueva Jersey. (Foto de Rich Graessle/NHLI a través de Getty Images)
This has been the hot topic in Montreal since yesterday: Alexandre Carrier is now a member of the Canadiens organization.
Since the trade, there have been a thousand comments about him… But no one is better positioned than Jean-Philippe Glaude to discuss him.
The latter is a scout who works for the Predators and has been around Carrier in recent years in Nashville.
Jean-Philippe Glaude went on to say that Alexandre Carrier is really a good person off the ice.
From his comments, Alexandre Carrier truly has what it takes to become a fan favorite in Montreal.
Fans love players who give their all for the club and aren’t afraid to go into danger zones to block shots or hit the opponent: that’s what Carrier will bring to Martin St-Louis’ lineup.
Let’s remember as we conclude that we will have the opportunity to see the Québécois in uniform as early as tomorrow.
He will play his very first game with the Canadiens as the team visits Detroit to face the Red Wings.
Justin Barron never became the defender that was hoped for in Montreal.
He played 109 games in the Canadiens uniform, and even though he collected 31 points, it cannot be said that the experience was a success for him in the city.
But even though the CH decided to part ways with the young defenseman, it doesn’t mean that he won’t have a bright career in the NHL.
He is only 23 years old and in Nashville, they believe a lot in him.
At least, that’s what we can think when we hear Andrew Brunette say on the radio (The Game Nashville) that the Preds had Justin Barron in their sights for a while.
The Predators’ coach claims that the organization is excited about welcoming him because he has been talked about “several times” in Nashville:
Andrew Brunette on the #Preds adding D-man Justin Barron via trade last night from Montreal for Alex Carrier.
“We’ve had our eyes on him… I’ve heard his name numerous times & he’s someone we’ve been excited about to get.” https://t.co/g9zaT3m6ZQ
The fact that he is going to Nashville knowing that the Preds want him must also be comforting.
Justin Barron seemed like a guy without confidence on the ice in recent weeks and he was not in the best situation in the world, but he has the opportunity for a fresh start in Nashville, and it’s up to him to take advantage of it.
Moreover, it was noted that last night, Barron went out for dinner with four other Canadiens players according to what Arpon Basu (The Athletic) reported.
We’re talking about Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, Michael Pezzetta, and Kaiden Guhle.
Barron received a call from Jeff Gorton while he was on his way to pick up his teammates, and it was then that the guys understood that something was happening.
On Justin Barron’s last supper as a member of the Canadiens, how Alexandre Carrier’s arrival positively impacts their bench management, and how it negatively impacts Jayden Struble: https://t.co/C02zPQgDmt
We know that Jeff Gorton was the one who called Alexandre Carrier to welcome him to Montreal.
And evidently, he is also the one who had to intervene with Justin Barron because Kent Hughes is currently in Russia.
I am eager to see if Justin Barron will be able to blossom with his new team. He has talent, and we have seen flashes from him, but he needs to work on his consistency.
He has the qualities to become a good NHL player. Now, the Preds also need to place him in a favorable situation for that to happen.
Kent Hughes’ visit to Russia is generating buzz. Colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois earlier penned an article on the topic today.
After all, SKA took advantage of the fact that the GM and some members of the Canadiens were there to meet the club by publishing videos and being very visual, which has created quite a stir.
Because looking at the images shared by SKA, it seems like everyone is “buddy – buddy”… And given the current circumstances in Russia, this does not sit well with some.
Kent Hughes, Nick Bobrov, and Vincent Lecavalier visited a certain Roman Rotenberg, the head coach of Ivan Demidov with the SKA of Saint Petersburg : Roman Rotenberg (Telegram) pic.twitter.com/3F90cSASix
At the end of the day, this puts the Montreal Canadiens in a strange situation.
They should have anticipated that this might happen… But no one knew that SKA would be so open in its posts regarding the Canadiens’ visit.
This is where it becomes tricky.
The situation has become so “sensitive” that this morning, Kent Hughes had to cancel an interview at the last minute.
According to information from Maxime Truman, the Canadiens’ GM was supposed to speak with a journalist from Russia who works in collaboration with other journalists from Canada and Quebec, but it never happened in the end.
Max shared the info on the show of Georges Laraque and Stéphane Gonzalez (BPM Sports):
Ultimately, the Canadiens’ visit to Russia… has become larger than the sport due to political stakes.
This was to be expected, even if the Canadiens have the right to check on their investment since Demidov is the club’s most important prospect.
It should be noted that after today’s practice, Martin St-Louis was asked about the Canadiens’ visit to Russia and he said he did not want to comment on that matter.
That was the right thing to do.
In Brief
– Already?
Tyler Johnson (BOS) on unconditional waivers for purposes of contract termination.
The Canadian national TV rights for the NHL will expire in a year and a half, and we are starting to hear that negotiations for the next contract will begin as early as January or February.
But beware! The Canadian dollar, which is depreciating week after week, will reduce the league’s hockey-related revenues since many revenues are first recorded in Canadian dollars. This could slightly tarnish the current excellent picture.
And some people tell me that yes, Gary Bettman is likely to chat with traditional broadcasters and online streaming services in January or February… but he will wait to have a good idea of what the negotiations for the upcoming collective bargaining agreement – which will also expire in 18 months – will look like before closing anything in terms of TV.
What’s coming?
We all suspect that at least one streaming service AND one English-language TV network will be part of the next deal. It remains to be seen who…
And to whom the French rights will then be awarded.
Amazon, which has started to work closely with the NHL, is obviously in the picture. As for Sportsnet (Rogers) and TSN (Bell Media), everything remains to be seen…
Sportsnet is the current partner…
TSN has always been part of the discussions when it comes to sports TV rights…
But Bell Media has withdrawn from MLSE…
While retaining the rights to the Raptors and Maple Leafs. It’s all quite confusing.
If Sportsnet wins the bid again, will they subcontract their French rights to TVA Sports again? Or will they look for new partners?
If TSN wins, it seems obvious to me that the franco rights will be awarded to the little brother from Quebec, RDS…
Amazon, the right solution for the NHL
Doing business with an online streaming service is clearly the path the NHL will take. Gary Bettman knows this and has not hidden it.
The danger is choosing the wrong streamer… and giving them all your content.
You’ve understood that I was referring to MLS and its exclusivity deal with Apple TV+.
In Quebec, 30% of people are subscribed to a streaming service, 18% to two, and 30% to three. The others don’t have a single one…
When they have only one, you’ll have guessed that it’s often Netflix. Indeed, 54% of those surveyed by Numéris had a subscription to Netflix.
Then comes Amazon Prime Video in second place (41%).
Following in order are Disney+ (24%), Crave (17%), Club Illico (15%), Tou.tv Extra (10%)… and then Apple TV+ (6%).
Who watches what?
(Credit: Mashable)
Out of the 1,253 people surveyed, only 77 had a subscription to Apple TV+.
Netflix had 674, which is almost nine times more!
And Amazon? 517, which is almost seven times more!
By doing a simple rule of three, we can thus think that about 4 to 5 million Quebecers have access to Netflix, that about 3 to 3.5 million Quebecers have access to Amazon Prime Video… but that only 500,000 people have access to Apple TV+ content. In the best of worlds…
Netflix is investing in the NFL, boxing, and wrestling to continue to please its subscribers (who are many). Amazon is aligning with hockey to do the same, especially in Canada, as well as to acquire a few more subscriptions.
But Apple TV+ had bet that sticking with MLS (and Lionel Messi) would explode its subscription numbers. Except that’s not what happened…
And the league is suffering today. It aligned with someone who had a different strategy and prioritized quick money over the long term.
Let’s stay in Quebec…
Out of the 500,000 people who have access to the Apple TV+ service, how many have decided to pay an extra of over $100 for the MLS Season Pass? Very few, I’m told…
Thank goodness we offered MLS Season Pass subscriptions (without Apple TV+) to season subscribers; otherwise, Frédéric Lord and Vincent Destouches would be talking to themselves quite a bit on match nights.
Someone confided to me last summer that the average viewership ratings (per minute) of CF Montreal’s matches were in the three or four digits.
“If it’s in the four digits, it’s not in the high four digits.”
Yes, MLS and its teams pocketed $2 billion with the Apple TV+ deal, but we can already see the perverse effects of that deal. Many traditional media have also chosen to boycott the team after losing the rights they previously held…
I repeat, but major sports leagues would do well to partner with streaming giants…
But they must learn from the mistake made by MLS. Basically, they must:
1. Ensure they partner with the right one, 2. Not grant exclusivity of all their content.
NFL broadcasts about 10% of its matches exclusively online. I expect about the same ratio from the NHL with its next Canadian deal…
To return to CF Montreal, it’s fortunate that RDS has retained the broadcast of about 15 games per year. That saves the situation, even if it is clearly not enough.
To think there are still eight years left on the deal binding CF Montreal and Apple TV+! #PatienceFans
Overtime
– It’s no coincidence that several CF Montreal matches are offered for free to Apple TV+ subscribers. We clearly haven’t succeeded in breaking into the Quebec market with MLS Season Pass subscriptions, and the club must be tired of not being watched as much as it was before on TVA Sports.
– In 2023, RDS had 1.7 million subscribers, and TVA Sports had 1.3 million. In Quebec, a normal household is considered to be about 2.5 people. In short, Netflix would therefore have about 1.8 million subscriptions, and Amazon Prime Video, 1.4 million. These numbers are very similar to those of our French-language sports channels.
– Only 44% of young people aged 18 to 35 have a subscription to a traditional cable distributor. They were nearly 60% before the pandemic…
This is where the decline of traditional media is evident. And it’s even worse in the English-speaking sector, both in Canada and the United States.
– Apple TV+ also made a big mistake in its coverage of MLS: there is no interesting content between matches, before matches, and during halftime. #RetainYourAudience
– Since we’re talking about CF Montreal, I’m told that the chances of seeing the French-language radio broadcast of the matches remain excellent on BPM Sports.
– TSN and RDS (Bell Media) have announced several partnerships with Amazon over the past few months. Interesting…
Although Amazon Prime Video is currently broadcasting national games on Monday nights thanks to a partnership with Sportsnet.
– Finally, since we’re talking about streamers, Amazon Prime Video announced this morning that a second documentary series, Faceoff: Inside The NHL, will be presented in 2025 (six episodes). The Tkachuk family will be involved in this second season.
https://t.co/FBRCogRUrZ
: Roman Rotenberg (Telegram) 
