Vegas Golden Knights hit another home run with Carrier extension

Another day, another smart move by the Vegas Golden Knights who have locked up forward William Carrier for the foreseeable future.

It was announced today that the Vegas Golden Knights had signed Carrier to a four-year contract extension, which carries an Annual Average Value of $1.4 million.

Carrier was in the final year of a two-year, $1,450,000 contract and was set to become a RFA in the summer.

Carrier will now remain with the Golden Knights through the 2023-24 season, ensuring that another key piece of this team is under contract for the long-term.

This is another incredibly smart move by the Knights given that Carrier is enjoying a career-year this season, while it is also a very team-friendly deal that keeps a key piece of this team under contract while keeping some flexibility when it comes to the cap.

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Through 65 games this year, the forward has recorded seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points with an impressive Corsi of 54.7.

In addition, Carrier has dished out a whopping 199 hits which ranks second on the Golden Knights and sixth in the entire NHL.

Carrier has also blocked 11 shots and amassed 21 takeaways, while averaging 9:45 minutes of ice time per game.

The 25-year-old has already recorded career-highs in assists (11) and points (18), while he’s two goals away from carving out a career-high in that category too.

He dolled out a staggering 277 hits in 2018-19 and has tallied 30 points (16 goals, 14 assists) to go with 85 penalty minutes in 156 games with the Golden Knights across the span of three seasons.

Carrier, who was selected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft by the Knights, has really blossomed this year and it is only logical to think that the wing will get better as he approaches his prime.

As well as being a human wrecking-ball, and he is only second to Ryan Reaves when it comes to being an absolute punisher on the ice for the Golden Knights, Carrier has also developed the other side of his game.

He’s shown an elite level of creativity with the puck on his stick, as perfectly illustrated in the wild 5-4 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 4.

Carrier showed off his blistering speed by breezing past a defenseman to latch onto a loose puck, before circling the zone and then dishing a beautiful, inch-perfect pass over to Nicolas Roy that led to a high-danger chance.

If that wasn’t enough, Carrier also displayed his strength by taking the puck along the boards, weaving his way through the offensive zone and then dishing a sublime no-look pass to Paul Stastny who did the rest.

Those two plays were a perfect mix of Carrier’s speed, skill and strength, qualities that are often overlooked because of the role Carrier plays on the fourth line.

But that is why this extension is such a home run.

By locking up Carrier through 2023-24, not only can the forward play an effective role now but he’s also got plenty of potential left to unlock.

And, with his bucketload of skill coupled with his vision, Carrier could play up and down the lineup if needed.

He’s got all the attributes and hockey intangibles to flourish in a much-bigger role and, in the short-term, Carrier could fill the void that may potentially be left by Ryan Reaves, who is a pending UFA in the summer.

But, overall, Carrier is very much an unpolished gem that still has plenty to give and he could end up playing a far superior role for this team, making that annual cap hit of $1.4 million look even more of a bargain.

In a week that has seen the Vegas Golden Knights bolster their roster with the acquisitions of Alec Martinez, Robin Lehner and Nick Cousins, in addition to re-signing defenseman Nick Holden, giving William Carrier a new deal is another home run.