Nashville Predators Sign Matt Carle & Re-sign Calle Jarnkrok
You may have heard a month ago that the Predators had a pretty insane blockbuster trade (with my favorite from On The Forecheck “An Ode To Shea Weber“) but this month some loose ends were tied up.
#musiccitybound pic.twitter.com/20m2ZHRcrw
— Matt Carle (@mattcarle25) July 27, 2016
The Nashville Predators signed Matt Carle (née Tampa Bay twice, but really née the Flyers) for one-year, $700,000 on July 27th. Carle played for Predators head coach Peter Laviolette and Assistant Coach Kevin McCarthy from 2009 until 2012 as a Flyer and had almost instant chemistry with Chris Pronger, which was unfortunately short-lived due to Pronger’s injuries in Philly. Even though his on-ice time and scoring suffered in his last 4 years as a Lightning, the hope is that he’ll have a fresh start with Roman Josi, P.K Subban, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, Yannick Weber (who will probably be who he’ll be lined up with, at least during training camp), and the rookies in Petter Granberg (who signed a 2-year deal on July 26th) and Anthony Bitetto. From the Predators website:
“It’s certainly a new chapter in my career, so I’m hoping that this will be an easy transition for myself and my family,” Carle said. “Even going back to the last time I was a free agent in 2012, Nashville was a place that was high on my radar. I’m really looking forward to getting into town, getting a fresh start and starting a new chapter in my career.”
Carle saw the most statistical success of his career while playing under Laviolette, hitting the 35-plus point mark for three consecutive seasons, including 40 points in 2010-11. With the interest in Nashville already present, a phone call with Laviolette may have sealed the deal.
“There’s a lot of familiarity there; he knows my game and I know what to expect from him as a coach,” Carle said. “He and I had a really good conversation before I made the decision to come there, and that made the decision much easier for me, knowing what my role would be and knowing what to expect going forward… I’ve had brief conversations with all three [Preds coaches] since I’ve made my decision, and I’m just really looking forward to getting there in September and getting going.”
Calle Jarnkrok re-signed on the same day with the Preds via a 6-year, $12 million deal. Jarnkork was set to have his arbitration meeting on August 4 and is coming off a 30 point season in 81 games (he only missed one game last season). He is also turning 25 in September. This is a very long and a very cheap deal that seems to show he doesn’t want to leave Nashville or his fellow Predator Swedish housemates.
Also in Very Important News:
Among the new Predators numbers for next season, Yannick Weber will wear No. 7, Matt Carle holds onto No. 25, and Juuse Saros changes to 74.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) July 28, 2016
