NHL Free Agency 2018: Vegas Golden Knights sign William Carrier
The Vegas Golden Knights have re-signed restricted free agent forward William Carrier to a two-year deal
The Vegas Golden Knights are wrapping up their offseason. Because they’re an expansion team, they had to work out deals with several players this summer. The Golden Knights selected Willam Carrier from the Buffalo Sabres.
On Monday, the team announced they have signed the former Sabres forward to a two-year deal. This contract is worth $725,000 annually. Last season, Carrier appeared in 37 games for the Golden Knights. He posted three points during the regular season, including a goal against the Colorado Avalanche. Carrier battled a variety of injuries during the season.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
He also appeared in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games, though he didn’t put up any points. The Golden Knights used him primarily in a defensive role on the fourth-line.
However, Carrier didn’t spend much time on special teams, averaging about seven seconds a night combined between the power-play and penalty kill. That’s a bit interesting because fourth-line forwards usually play on at least one end of special teams since they get so little ice time at even strength.
This is a reasonable deal for him. After all, Carrier still hasn’t proven he’s any special. He has the potential to be a top-nine power forward but hasn’t been able to live up to it yet. Carrier seems to be an effective shot suppressor at worst. However, his offense thus far in the NHL has been limited at best.
An important thing to note is Carrier is not waiver exempt. So the Knights have to either keep on their NHL roster or expose him to waivers and risk losing him. Carrier will likely compete for a spot on the fourth line with Ryan Reaves and Tomas Nosek.
He could compete for an extra forward spot should he lose out on the fourth-line spot. Brandon Pirri appears to be his biggest competition for that role.
Next: Greatest Player To Wear Each Jersey Number
With Carrier signed, the Golden Knights’ lone restricted free agents are center William Karlsson and defenseman Shea Theodore. They have about $13.18 million to sign the two free agents. As long as Carrier can remain healthy, he should be a quality depth forward for them.