Everyone knows that in the National Hockey League, there are good trades and there are bad trades.
Back in June of 2011, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Philadelphia Flyers’ sniper Jeff Carter. At the time, it seemed like this would be a good deal for many reasons.
For starters, the Blue Jackets thought they finally had someone who could play alongside Rick Nash. Not only was Carter known for being able to put the puck in the net, but he could create and setup plays just as well.
Secondly, the Blue Jackets thought they had acquired someone who could take the scoring-burden off of Nash. Since Nash came into the league, the Blue Jackets have been relying on him to do everything so having Carter around would make things easier for Nash and perhaps take the pressure off of him.
Lastly, Carter is young and with the long contract set-up, would have his prime years with the Blue Jackets. He would essentially grow old in Columbus.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, this has turned out to be a terrible deal. Carter has scored just 17 points (10 goals and 7 assists) and has played in just 30 games due to various injuries.
There is speculation that Carter is unhappy in Columbus. However, Carter is saying all the right things about getting back into the line-up to help his team even though he is frustrated with the way the season has unfolded.
The Blue Jackets need to go ahead and trade Carter. While Carter’s contract is certainly a road block for many clubs, there is no doubting his potential on what he can do. Carter is the kind of player who can score over 40 goals and collect a lot of points when he is healthy.
The Jackets need to cut their losses and make a move while they can get someone of value in return. It is always tough to admit when you are wrong but Blue Jackets’ general manager Scott Howson needs to do just that and move Carter along.
Patrick Hoffman is a veteran hockey writer/blogger based in Fairfield, Connecticut.
On top of his work for Kukla’s Korner, Patrick covers the NHL for the Red Light District Hockey Blog and also contributes to Sportsnet.ca.
Prior to writing for the above-mentioned outlets, Hoffman’s musings have been published on TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Spector’s Hockey, Hokeja Vestnesis, Blueshirt Bulletin, SNYRangersBlog.com, here on NHL Home Ice from 2008 to 2009, as well as a slew of others.
For comments and hip checks, feel free to contact Patrick at patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com or on Twitter at @pathoffman35.
