3. Alexandre Carrier: 2024 UFA, $2.5M Current Cap Hit
I don't see a scenario where the Predators will be able to keep both Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro into next season. So it comes down to choosing between the two young defensemen who are looking to take the next vital step in their NHL careers.
Fabbro will be an RFA with arbitration eligibility, which will make contract negotiations tricky for the Predators to keep him in 2024 offseason. Carrier will be a UFA and far less NHL experience than Fabbro despite being almost two years older.
Carrier took the much longer path to the NHL compared to Fabbro who was thrown in quickly. Carrier's ceiling seems higher than Fabbro's, but either way it's a tough decision to pick one or the other in terms of who you re-sign.
Fabbro is going to demand more money and more term than Carrier, and he'll get more interest on the open market than Carrier. While Carrier has more offensive upside, you can also get him for a more team-friendly deal than I think you can get Fabbro for.
Carrier has also taken a step forward in his defensive game this season. He's among the best defensive pairings in the NHL playing alongside Ryan McDonagh, ranking 11th in Expected Goals Against Per 60 and 9th in Expected Goals %, per MoneyPuck.
Carrier has played most of his time on a pairing with Jeremy Lauzon at 330 minutes together, second-most on the team only trailing Fabbro and Roman Josi on a pairing.
You need to find a way to keep Carrier in Nashville for another couple seasons, and I think you can get him for moderately cheaper than Fabbro and take less risk, higher potential reward. In a perfect scenario, maybe you keep both, but I don't see it happening.