I wrote this way back on last Monday (which feels like an eternity ago) and then it got put on the back burner due to that little protest event you may have heard about!
A week later, in reading this back over, I wouldn't change much. In fact, I didn't change anything.
Time to dust it off and throw it out into cyber space.
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Lots of smoke of late that Jeff "the Lamb" Carter's days in Columbus may be quickly coming to an end. The Dispatch has mentioned it. TSN has mentioned it. Hockeybuzz has buzzed it. We've heard rumblings that he requested a trade. Of course we've heard the inevitable denials.
The fact is we all have eyes and can use our own brains. The guy got royally screwed over by Philly and all dots connect to him not being at all thrilled with his new home in Columbus. The Nash/Carter experiment has been a disaster in a disastrous season. It's been an injury riddled season in which he's played in just 30 games and has 10g, 7a and is a -9. It just hasn't worked on just about every level and I think it's highly probable he eventually gets moved.
So what to do?
In a lot of ways, I'd love to keep Carter. Who can't use a #1 center in his prime with goal scoring ability? In terms of the skill set - the guy is a keeper. I was thrilled when we traded for him but as soon as that ink dried on that deal it was clear the feeling was not mutual.
If only talent could fix the problem here then Carter could work. What is obvious to me now is the fix is far beyond just the insertion of talent. We aren't Detroit where the culture is in place and the attitudes are kind of automatically adjusted or your ostracized. I mean even Todd Bertuzzi is an effective player in that environment.
If we ever hope to gut this fish and rebuild the DNA of this franchise from the ground up what we absolutely cannot have are bad attitudes. Guys who poison the locker room. Especially guys playing major rolls on this team. Unfortunately I fully believe Jeff Carter is one of those guy. For that reason alone he's got to be moved.
I believe the organ-I-zation has also come to this conclusion which is why we are seeing all these rumors that Carter is available.
With the trade deadline less than 35 days away, this will be the first real good opportunity to put the 'for sale' sign out and see what kind of offers roll in.
Some folks say we will never get what we gave up. The secret on Carter is out. I call bullshit on that one. This poster from HF sums it up best:
I don't think NHL GM's dismiss a large body of work based on a small number of games like posters on these boards tend to do. Carter's had a 40-goal season, 2 30's, 2 20's, and even in this abysmal season with injuries on the worst team in the league, he's on a 27-goal pace.
Carter signed a life-time contract with PHILLY and had to wait one year for the no-trade clause to kick in because of his age. The Flyers pulled the rug out from under him, and this pretty much ensures that no young player will ever sign such a contract again until that NTC is fully in force at the time they sign the contract.
The acquiring team only needs to know that Carter wants to play for them. He wants to have that say which was the spirit and intent of the contract he signed. A player of this caliber on a $5.2 million cap-hit for the next decade is a good contract. He will fetch a very good return.
There are two options:
1. Deal him
2. Hang onto him
I think at a minimum we will either need a good young blue chip player plus a 1st round pick or similar all-star capable NHLer. Otherwise hang onto him until an acceptable offer presents itself.
Here are a couple of scenarios I could see playing out by the deadline. Although again, I want to caveot -- in no way do I think the current President/GM should make any deals but that is out of my hands:
Toronto - Luke Schenn + Kadri or 1st rd pick
Colroado - Paul Statsny
Anaheim - Bobby Ryan
Vancouver - Cory Schneider + 1st rd pick + salary dump (Ballard?)
I like all three of those deals but we need to do our homework and not make the same mistake we made with Carter. Columbus is not a "destination". It's not yet a franchise that players grow up dreaming of putting on the jersey. So if we are going to trade for an established NHLer we have to do everything possible to find out if they would have the right attitude here -- we need talent that plays hard. Or Dorsett with more skill. Players that set the example for the younger players and want to be part of the solution here.
Would Luke Schenn, Paul Statsny or Bobby Ryan be one of those guys? There is no way we can be 100% sure but use all your resources to try and widdle that down to best guess. Talk to former teammates, coaches, gms, owners, equipment managers, x-girlfriends, you name it.
Right now with Voracek having a Voracek type year (on pace for 46 pts) and Sean Couturier (8th overall pick traded for JC) having an excellent rookie season -- the Flyers look like the clear winners in this deal.
For now.
If we move Carter the only way to look at this deal will be as a 3-way trade.
Philly - Voracek, Couturier, Cousins
City 'X' - Carter
Columbus - ??
Stay tuned as it is only a matter of time before this lamb is chopped from this roster.
NEXT UP: Do you think the All Star game announcement during the day of the protest was merely a coincidence? My next post will show you why it wasn't!
-LTL
