When the Nashville Predators traded defenseman Alexandre Carrier to the Montreal Canadiens last week for Justin Barron, it sparked plenty of questions about the direction of the franchise. After an abysmal start to the season that landed them at the bottom of the league midway through December, were the Predators already punting on their plan to compete for a Stanley Cup that was set in motion during the offseason when general manager Barry Trotz spent more than $100 million in free agency? In short, no. Not even close. In the case of Carrier, who had just signed a three-year, $11.25 million contract in July, the emergence of other young defensemen in the Predators' pipeline – namely, Adam Wilsby, Nick Blankenburg and Marc Del Gaizo – made him more expendable in a trade that allowed Nashville to get younger and cheaper in Barron, who also comes with additional years of team control. Emma Lingan and Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News break down the Nashville Predators' trade of Alexandre Carrier to the Montreal Canadiens for Justin Barron. “They’re small sample sizes [for Wilsby and Blankenburg], but definitely, they’ve stepped up and played really good,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said after the trade. “You could say, yeah, for sure, that’s a little consolation [for losing Carrier], that these kids have opportunities and they take the most advantage of their opportunity, and continue to progress and be important parts of our team going forward.” Make no mistake: The Carrier trade wasn't the start of a sell-off. If anything, Trotz is looking to buy. “I think we’re in a [good] position with the flexibility,” Trotz said last week. “Don’t be surprised … If there’s the right piece, I’m going to add it. This [move] is not looking to delete everything. I know I want to add. I want to make our team better. I’m not happy where we are, but I realize where we are. So we’re dealing with it.” The Predators aren't going to be "buyers" in the sense that they're going to be acquiring short-term rentals who will help them make a playoff push this season alone. The moves Trotz makes will be designed to help this team beyond the current season, whether they are in the form of acquiring young roster players or clearing cap space that can come in handy during the offseason. “It gives us some flexibility from a salary-cap standpoint,” Trotz said. “That will allow us to be back in free agency if the right guy is there. [Or] picking up a player that might be a better fit from another team that maybe [that team] can’t afford. We’re sort of setting ourselves up to be really flexible and move forward ... I want to win. I didn’t come here to be where we are.” The Predators head into the holiday break on a high note, going 3-0-1 and earning seven of a possible eight points on their four-game homestand. They will look to carry that momentum out of the break into their upcoming six-game road trip; but if they can't, more moves may be on the way. Visit The Hockey News Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/] team site to stay updated on the latest news [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news], game day [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/game-day] coverage, player features [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/players], podcasts [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/podcasts] and more. RECENT PREDATORS NEWS
