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An increasing number of NHL teams are beating the roster freeze, with the Montreal Canadiens trading Justin Barron to the Nashville Predators for Alexandre Carrier.
The Canadiens and Predators made the third trade on Wednesday, as the NHL’s roster freeze kicks in at the end of Thursday night. It lasts until the beginning of Dec. 28.
Barron and Carrier are right-handed defensemen, but 28-year-old Carrier carries a $3.75-million cap hit for three years, while 23-year-old Barron has a $1.15-million cap hit for two seasons.
Carrier, who hails from Quebec City, Que., has six assists and seven points in 28 games this season while averaging 20:08 in ice time. He also has 31 hits and 49 blocked shots.
Carrier hadn’t played for the Predators since Dec. 7 against the Ottawa Senators. He was on the injured reserve with an upper-body issue at the time of the trade, but TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reported Carrier was cleared to play earlier on Wednesday.
The Predators drafted Carrier 115th overall in 2015. Since then, he’s played 245 NHL games for them and has 11 goals, 58 assists and 69 points. The 5-foot-11 blueliner is known for his mobility and two-way play, recording a career-high 30 points in 77 games in 2021-22.
Barron, meanwhile, has a goal in 17 games, averaging 14:43 of ice time. He’s got 17 hits and 20 blocked shots. The Canadiens acquired Barron, the 25th overall pick in 2020, from the Colorado Avalanche in March 2022 with a second-round pick for Artturi Lehkonen, who currently has 15 points in 21 games this season. Barron’s career totals include 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 111 games.
With the move, the Predators gained $2.6 million in cap space and now have about $11.045 million in room, per PuckPedia. Montreal, meanwhile, has about $7.58 million in cap space with Carey Price and his $10.5-million cap hit on the long-term injured reserve.
The Predators currently sit last in the NHL with a 9-17-6 record for 24 points in 32 games. The Canadiens are 27th with a 12-16-3 record and 27 points.
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