This is part one of a two-part series looking back at Jeff Carter’s journey from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Part one looks at the trade that landed Carter in Columbus. Part two will break down the transaction that took him from Columbus and landed him in LA.
The Trade
On June 23, 2011, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded Jakub Voracek, the eighth overall draft pick in 2011, as well as a third-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jeff Carter.
NHL Contracts Involved
Jeff Carter- 11 years at $58 million; Jakub Voracek- RFA
Looking Back on Philadelphia
The Flyers’ then GM Paul Holmgren started to rebuild his team after a disappointing playoff performance in 2011, having been beaten by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the second round. Carter had just signed an 11-year contract and undoubtedly planned on staying in Philly for the long haul. A dismal two points in the 2011 playoffs made it an easier decision to trade him. He was shipped off to Columbus netting the Flyers Voracek, and a 2011 first and third round pick .
While the Mike Richards trade seemed to have yielded a bigger return, clearing Carter’s contract gave the Flyers the room they needed to add young talent to compliment Claude Giroux. As a team looking to rebuild, adding Voracek, who had just come off of his third season in the league, was a risky move especially in exchange for one of the team’s leading goal scorers. Voracek’s 161 points in 212 games with the Flyers is not quite the production Jeff Carter is capable of, but adding a first-round draft pick into the mix made this trade much easier to swallow.
The eighth-overall pick is very valuable, especially for a team that consistently makes the playoffs. Sean Couturier ended up being the Flyers first-round pick that year, and he is now slowly making a name for himself in the league. In 209 games with the Flyers Couturier has recorded 82 points. In 2013-2014 he had 39 points and appeared in all 82 regular season games.
The Flyers chose center Nick Cousins at 68th overall with the third-round pick they received in the deal. He has yet to crack the Flyers lineup but is currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms (formerly the Adirondack Phantoms). In 82 games with Lehigh Valley Cousins has 32 points.
Looking Back on Columbus
Columbus was looking for a way to end their perennial struggles. They needed a center that was willing to supply Rick Nash the puck and provide him with scoring opportunities. Jeff Carter was an odd choice for that role as he is not a playmaker and is much better known for putting the puck in the net on his own.
In hindsight, it seems Columbus was attempting to show Rick Nash the team could be turned around by adding another big-name player. They ended up making matters worse. Carter never panned out, and Nash was not any happier.
Carter ended up with 25 points in only 39 games played for Columbus before he was traded to the Kings. This trade may have actually signaled the end of Nash’s time in Columbus.
The Winner: Philadelphia
Looking at just the NHL players and draft picks (not who was selected with those picks) that were traded in this deal, Philadelphia wins. Jeff Carter, maybe unfairly, was seen as a bust in Columbus. He was often injured and only played in 39 games before being shipped off to Los Angeles. Voracek, on the other hand, has been a great compliment to Claude Giroux on the top line. Not only did Philly get a mainstay in Voracek, they also received an 8th overall draft pick and a third-round draft pick. Taking this into consideration, Philadelphia takes the cake regardless of whom they chose. When you add to this the hit to salary cap Philly managed to get off of their books by moving Carter, you have a team that is very young and primed for the future.
Winner (including the players selected with picks): Philadelphia
Because of Holmgren’s bold moves Philadelphia is a competitive team that is built to exceed well into the future. With Sean Couturier just establishing himself in the league it would be speculation to say that he has panned out completely, but at just 21-years old things look promising for the young center. In addition to Couturier, Philly also got Cousins, a promising young prospect. Jakub Voracek has quietly established himself as a leading goal scorer for Philadelphia playing alongside Claude Giroux.
Columbus loses as Jeff Carter simply came and went, eventually netting them Jack Johnson in a trade with LA. More on that in Part Two of the Jeff Carter saga.
Written by Mark Ball and found on twitter @hockeyMarkB.
Jeff Carter
Jakub Voracek
Sean Couturier
Nick Cousins
