Alexandre Carrier: Things have been (really) bad for the past three games

I really like Alexander Carrier as a defenseman.

He's versatile, he's reliable on the ice, and that explains why Martin St-Louis trusts him.

Except that…

Except that Carrier has a problem with his game, and it's been noticeable ever since he arrived in Montreal. He's capable of being really, really good when things are going well… but when they're going badly, they're going to hell.

It looks like a consistency issue…

The proof? Carrier was really solid for the Canadiens early in the season. He logged a lot of minutes and helped the team in his own way. But for the past three games, he's been the team's worst player in terms of advanced stats.

For three straight games, he's been outperformed by the other Habs defensemen. 

@DLCoulisses Our worst defenseman is Carrier, and he's physically non-existent ⬇️
You can't make this stuff up—the last three games 🤦—yet no one's talking about it…. https://t.co/h14vQc6nxn

— David Harvey (@Blacken25) November 8, 2026

Is this a huge problem?

I wouldn't go that far, and the reason is simple: Carrier is a mature player and he knows how to get back on track. He has enough NHL experience to bounce back from a slump like this—and he has the heart to do it, too.

We're talking about a guy who takes pride in his performance, after all. And we're also talking about a guy who knows what it means to wear the Montreal Canadiens uniform.

But Carrier still needs to take a hard look in the mirror and fix what's not working in his game. We can all agree he isn't the most physical defenseman on the ice: he needs to find another way to be effective for the Habs, and that hasn't been the case lately.

I'm confident things will fall back into place, though. And the fact is, Carrier can't forget that there's another right-handed guy in Laval who's been waiting and waiting for his real chance… #Reinbacher