Predators Re-Sign Justin Barron

The Nashville Predators have avoided arbitration with one of their restricted free agent defenseman. According to a team announcement, the Predators have signed Justin Barron to a one-year, $1.575MM contract for the 2026-27 season.

Barron, 24, was acquired by Nashville nearly two years ago. The former first-round pick had been playing with the Montreal Canadiens at the time of the trade, but was brought to Tennessee in a mid-season swap for Alexandre Carrier.

The major nuisance throughout Barron’s career has been injury concerns, and that hasn’t changed since he joined the Predators. As recently as last season, Barron lost a decent chunk of the year (16 games) to a lower-body injury suffered in December.

Additionally, he wasn’t all that productive when healthy, either. Throughout 52 games with Nashville last season, Barron registered only nine assists with a -1 rating, averaging 14:15 of ice time per game. The year before, in contrast, Barron tallied five goals and 12 points in 45 games for the Preds.

He does have some decent defensive metrics, but he’s unlikely to find his way into more ice time this next season, especially if he can’t stay healthy. Nashville acquired Ilya Lyubushkin from the Dallas Stars shortly before free agency began, and with Nicklaus Perbix already on the roster, Barron will need to outplay both of them for more ice time.

Regardless, Nashville and Barron will at least hope for a healthy season. He has never played more than 62 games in a season, and if that continues for the 2026-27 campaign, Barron will likely be a non-tender candidate next offseason if he wasn’t already.