This is part two of a two-part series looking back at Jeff Carter’s journey from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Part one covered the transaction that brought Carter from Philly to Columbus. Part two looks at the trade that landed Carter in Los Angeles.
The Trade
On February 23, 2012 Columbus received Jack Johnson and what ended up being a 2013 first round draft pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings for Jeff Carter.
NHL Contracts Involved
Jeff Carter- 10 years at $52 million; Jack Johnson- 6 years at $27 million
Looking Back on Columbus
On the day of the trade, Columbus’s then GM Scott Howson said, “We were excited and had high expectations when we acquired Jeff Carter, but we just couldn’t find the right fit for him here.”
To translate, those “high expectations” were never met and a change was needed. Carter was brought to Columbus to supply a playmaker to Nash in an attempt to revamp the franchise. Instead, Carter spent a good portion of his time with Columbus injured, and never really clicked with Nash when he was healthy. He played only 39 games in Columbus before the team moved him. Things were not rosy for the Blue Jackets prior to Carter’s trade.
When Jack Johnson came to Columbus there was still a very unhappy Rick Nash on the roster. Nash wanted to play somewhere else and got his wish in July of 2012 when he was traded to the New York Rangers (Looking Back – Nash to Rangers). He left behind a franchise he helped to the playoffs only one time in 10 years.
Nash’s departure to New York has surprisingly left things looking a bit brighter in Columbus. This is in large part due to Johnson’s presence on the blue line, and his exceptional play on special teams.
Johnson had 33 points in his first full season for the Jackets in 2013-2014, and another 19 in lockout shortened 2012-2013. These numbers are right in line with his career averages. He gives Columbus a hard shot on the point, which comes in handy on the power play. He is the kind of player that a team can build a power play around given his ability to keep the puck moving and willingness to shoot. Johnson has met expectations for point production, but he never really succeeds in surpassing them.
Although he may not be blowing expectations out of the water, Johnson has added a scoring touch from the blue line and showed how valuable he can be when it matters the most. In the 2014 first-round playoff series against Pittsburgh, he was Columbus’ leading point getter with seven in six hard-fought games. Since coming to Columbus, Johnson has played 154 games putting up 69 points. What is more impressive for an offensive-minded d-man like Johnson is the improvement his +/- rating has seen since coming to Columbus. In those 154 games with Columbus he is -12. Considering he was -90 the first 343 games he played before arriving in Columbus, it becomes clear he is making strides and maturing as a defenseman.
In addition to Johnson, the Blue Jackets received a first round draft pick that they used to choose center Marko Dano, 27th overall in 2013. Dano spent last year in the AHL with the Springfield Falcons, but has cracked the Blue Jackets lineup this year. The young man is only 19 years old, and through three games played has two points.
Looking Back on Los Angeles
Los Angeles was fighting for their playoff lives prior to acquiring Carter. They were in 8th place in the standings, and dead last in the league in scoring. Jack Johnson was not a weak spot for LA, but he was moveable and could be used to obtain some much needed scoring. The fact Slava Voynov was becoming an obvious first-pair defenseman made the case for moving Johnson even stronger. At the time Voynov was 22 years old and playing second-pair minutes. Moving Johnson meant Voynov would be able to play on the first defense pairing all the while adding a scoring touch to the roster of the offensively-challenged Kings.
Needing a scoring upgrade is one thing, but trading away a reliable defender for a player that had proven himself a risk is another. In regard to Carter, LA GM Dean Lombardi said, “I do think that athletes and professionals all go through a phase, just like we did in college, and you’ve got to grow up and learn from it.” Lombardi hoped Carter would get over whatever it was that ailed him in Columbus and return to form. With 100 points in 143 games played for the Kings, Carter is seemingly over whatever caused his problems in Columbus and is playing well enough to say Lombardi’s risk paid off.
After acquiring Carter, the Kings has won two Stanley Cups, one of those times as an eight seed. The only year since Carter’s acquisition LA did not win the Cup, the Kings lost to a very good Chicago team in the Western Conference Finals. Los Angeles already had most of the pieces in place to obtain this kind of success, but adding Carter has helped make the Kings elite. In 2014, Carter was the Kings’ leading playoff scorer with 25 points in 26 games played, en route to helping the team capture the cup for the second time in three years.
The Winner: Los Angeles
Although this is a much tougher call than considering Philadelphia and Columbus’ transaction involving Carter, it is clear Los Angeles has made the most of this trade. In terms of one-for-one value, Johnson was a huge improvement over the Jeff Carter that was playing for Columbus at the time of the trade. However, the Jeff Carter that was playing for Columbus is somehow different from the one who plays for Los Angeles. He is in the lineup most nights and produces regularly. Winning the Stanley Cup two times in three years is no easy feat, and given Jeff Carter’s superb playoff performances for LA, this probably would not have been possible without him. While Columbus has done a tremendous job of improving their team since acquiring Jack Johnson they are still trying to win their first playoff series. How this trade plays out will be interesting to watch well into the future. Even with a first round draft pick included in the deal, LA wins here.
Winner (including the players selected with picks): Los Angeles
Marko Dano may end up being a spectacular NHL player, and it may be too early to tell who will actually win this trade when we consider all of the pieces down the road. As of right now, Los Angeles takes it even when we consider Dano as part of the package along with Johnson. It cannot be overstated how rare a team like Los Angeles is, and Jeff Carter is very much a part of that. Jack Johnson has helped improve Columbus immensely, but he certainly is not the answer to all of their prayers. Dano and Johnson are just two pieces in a larger puzzle Columbus is trying to put together at this point. With Carter in LA, that puzzle has been completed twice over and the Kings are in a good spot to win it all again. Maybe in a few years this trade will need re-evaluation, but for now there is a clear winner in Los Angeles.
Written by Mark Ball and found on twitter @hockeyMarkB.
Jack Johnson
Marko Dano
Jeff Carter
