Bright: Jeff Carter Trade Rumor Has Realistic Framework
Ryan Bright
Rumors, speculation and amateur attempts at general managing have become a staple of every NHL offseason. While ideas become somewhat intriguing during a summer of disappointment and vacant of real news, rumor mongering is typically unreliable and in some cases, annoying.
So when the scuttlebutt broke from Twitter on Monday night that New York-based news hound Incarcerated Bob claimed the Toronto Maple Leafs and Flyers are in “serious discussions involving Jeff Carter,” there was a spark of curiosity and rightfully very few true believers. Just another Carter trade rumor.
However, there is one overlooked nugget in Bob’s proposed deal that is hard to ignore. The formula actually makes sense.
Rumored in the deal was one of the Maple Leaf’s two first-round picks, young defenseman Carl Gunnarsson and the dartboard prospect names of Joe Colborne, Jerry D’Amigo and even possibly Nazem Kadri.
The Flyers would then package some or all of those assets and potentially another player to a third team for a goaltender, with Calgary’s Mikka Kiprusoff, Vancouver’s Cory Schneider, Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick and the rights to Phoenix’s Ilya Bryzgalov at the top of the list.
And while the names, draft numbers and even the teams involved may all be swapped, the theory of moving Carter for assets would be a smart one for general manager Paul Holmgren to test out.
Aside from workhorse goaltender and a big shut-down defenseman, a top-two center would be on the wish list of many teams around the league. The theory of building down the middle is not lost on the non-playoff teams which are loaded with winger talent, but no true pivot to complete the set and push the team to postseason contention.
These teams in need, such as the Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators and Phoenix Coyotes, are all in search of an top-tier NHL-caliber center and are all loaded with prospects and valuable draft picks from years of losing to use as bargaining chips.
Carter’s seemingly unmovable contract of $5.27 million for 11 years only proves that the Flyers’ brass were downright giddy over the 6-foot-3 scorer when they re-signed him on Nov. 13, 2010. And they aren’t the only ones. With an upside of becoming a 40-40 center, with good size, just hitting his prime at 26 and only missing 21 games in the last six seasons, Carter’s contract length would be an afterthought by any GM smitten with the thought of him filling in a vital forward role for years to come.
While Carter would be a desirable option for other teams, for the Flyers, moving their top goal-scorer would also oddly work in their favor as trading him would have less to do with the player and more about what the Flyers have, what they lack and what he would bring in return.
Along with freeing up the cap space, the Flyers, who are extremely deep at center with Mike Richards, Danny Briere and Claude Giroux all locked up for at least the next three years, would be able to acquire youth in prospects or picks, something they lack in extremes, while avoiding a major core shakeup.
With that return, if Holmgren does have his eye on someone like Schneider, Kiprusoff or Quick to be the goalie for the Flyers, to get them would take a great deal of convincing as successful starting backstops are considered almost invaluable. To pry one loose would take high-caliber but inexpensive assets in prospects or draft picks.
So while the predictions of Incarcerated Bob may not be entirely accurate when it comes to the Flyers and Toronto, he could be in the neighborhood of an accurate and realistic deal, should one involve Carter.
And in the offseason rumor game, there is something to be said for that.
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