To Stay or To Go? Tracking These Nashville Predators 2024 Free Agents

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#1: Alexandre Carrier, $2.5M AAV in 2023-24, Passed on Trading him at 24' Trade Deadline

A major gamble at the 2024 trade deadline for the Predators was choosing not to trade Alexandre Carrier. I was shocked to see that, but Carrier did prove to be valuable afterwards and even in the playoffs against the Canucks. He scored a goal, and the Predators defense certainly wasn't the issue, it was the strength.

The Predators front office treated Carrier like their own rental in their playoff push, and now they have to live with the consequences. I think he's lost in free agency. So many teams are going to be interested in Carrier's services, and the Predators are running out of money if they're also looking for impact forwards and say they want to retain Saros as well.

In hindsight considering you only made it to six games of the first round, Trotz should've just traded Carrier. You can't live in "what ifs", but I'm sure he wants that decision back.

If Carrier is gone this offseason, that still leaves the Predators defensive corps in decent shape moving forward. Spencer Stastney was outstanding and should be a fulltime NHL player now, and Dante Fabbro is signed through 2024-25.

What will really hurt about losing Carrier is his best hockey is probably still ahead of him, and breaking up his pairing with Jeremy Lauzon will be difficult to replace. That leaves your right side defense as Fabbro and Luke Schenn. Lauzon can play the right side, and Tyson Barrie is almost certainly gone as well in unrestricted free agency.

So the Predators have to find themselves another quality right defenseman for 2024-25 either from their prospect pool or in offseason free agency if Carrier is lost. That will be the top priority, along with figuring out what to do with Saros, this offseason.

One prospect I will bring up that I can see making his highly-anticipated NHL debut in 2024-25 is Ryan Ufko. The 21-year-old defenseman was drafted in the fourth round of 2021 by the Predators and has already made his Milwaukee Admirals debut with 12 total games and seven points.

Let me refresh you on this list and who I think stays and who goes among these five top free agents in 2024 for the Predators: