The Nashville Predators made a roster move, recalling Kevin Gravel from the Milwaukee Admirals. He arrives following news that Alexandre Carrier will miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury.
The diminutive Carrier, who never seems to back down from a challenge, decided to take on the 6-foot-7 Logan Stanley earlier this week after the Winnipeg Jets defenseman delivered a hard hit on Cody Glass. Unfortunately, it resulted in an injury, one that will keep him out for at least a month.
While he hasn’t been playing quite as much as he did last season, Carrier is still an important part of the Predators group. Through 40 games he has eight points and is averaging a little over 18 minutes a night. Call it a sophomore slump, perhaps, but losing a huge chunk of the season right in the middle of the year certainly won’t help Carrier get back on track.
The Predators can’t really sit around and wait, either. The club has climbed back into the Central Division playoff race and could potentially consider itself a buyer ahead of the upcoming trade deadline. Losing a key defender for the next month could drastically affect that position, even if the Predators do have a number of veteran options who can carry the load.
Gravel, 30, isn’t really that. The big left-shot defenseman is a fringe NHL player at best, suiting up 113 times over parts of six seasons. Four of those appearances have come this year. He’ll likely see some playing time, but don’t be surprised to see the Predators shuffle some things around to try and find the perfect fit in Carrier’s absence.
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