Matt Carle signs one-year contract with Predators

Defenseman Matt Carle signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.
Carle, 31, had two remaining years of his contract bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning in June and was an unrestricted free agent.
"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 told the Predators website. "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 has played 724 NHL games for the Lightning, San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 45 goals and 237 assists.
Carle has played in the Stanley Cup Final twice, including in 2010 with the Flyers under coach Peter Laviolette, who is coach of the Predators. The Anchorage, Alaska native played three seasons under Laviolette in Philadelphia from 2009-12.
"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 Predators coaches] since I've made my decision, and I'm just really looking forward to getting there in September and getting going."
The Predators avoided an arbitration hearing with forward Calle Jarnkrok,
[signing him to a six-year, $12 million contract
, an average annual value of $2 million, on Wednesday.