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Pursuing Jeff Carter, would you do it? |
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Is Pursuing Jeff Carter a Solution to Woes Down the Middle?
An unfathomable thought but a year ago, could Jeff Carter be on the Washington Capitals radar?
Considering the former Flyer is no longer property of the Caps long-time rival but that off an oft-unseen Western Conference foe, the Columbus Blue Jackets, would it not be conceivable that the Caps could, nay should, be interested in the maligned centerman?
A notable issue for the Caps over the past few seasons has been their lack of reinforcement down the middle.
Beyond Nicklas Backstrom, who is injured with no defined timetable for return (as of yet), the Caps are certainly not as stacked as they once were.
Aside from valiant efforts from Marcus Johansson and, occasionally, Mathieu Perreault, Washington has long lacked that depth at center and, although many changes and additions have been made to bolster this roster, the team still finds themselves in search of that missing piece.
Carter, a tad disgruntled in Columbus, with the Jackets seeming far more disgruntled, appears to be on his way out of Ohio, despite the tremendous costs that brought him there. It has been a tough season for the Blue Jackets and while they sit in the basement of the NHL standings, they are evidently becoming more and more anxious for some positive results.
Dealing Carter may sound like a brash move, but if they truly are shopping him, he won't come cheap as Columbus will be in search of serious value for the 27 year old vet.
Beginning with the price the Flyers paid to acquire him (Voracuk, a former 8th overall pick, the Jackets 1st rounder (Sean Couturier) and a 3rd rounder(TJ Tynan) in 2011), anyone who is looking to acquire the 7 year vet with 181 career goals will surely have to pay a steep price.
In regards to what a guy like Jeff Carter could mean for the Capitals, well, the idea of adding a center, let alone a player of his caliber, would vastly improve the Caps.
While MJ90 has shown great improvement this season, he is far from being the phenom Nicklas Backstrom proved to be in his early years. Instead, Johansson is becoming a very reliable two-way centerman, though lacking the current punch up the middle the Caps need.
And building up the team's strength at center is truly one of the most important elements in becoming a better team.
With the Caps star wingers showing a mortal side few have seen before, bolstering the talent at center would do all the forwards a world of good.
Now, as for the contract and cost of acquiring Carter, it would definitely require a leap on George McPhee's behalf, though it would be a weighted risk with the promise of an equal if not greater reward.
With an annual cap hit of $5,272 through the 2022 season, not only is his salary appealing, but it tails off drastically in the final 4 years of his deal.
Fitting him under the Caps current cap wouldn't be a problem as they sit with $5.7 million in available cap space, including plenty of space to fit him in in the future.
The real issue would be providing Columbus with an offer both fair to them and manageable on Washington's behalf.
After years of struggling and having recently been awarded the 2013 NHL All Star Game, the Blue Jackets franchise has set their sights on next season and another retool that will hopefully bring them a shot at a playoff spot and some success.
Given that the Jackets are bereft of NHL talent available to currently help the club, the question of what Jeff Carter would cost becomes a complicated one.
First off, they will undoubtedly want at least 1 of first rounders that they parted with in the summer. The Caps have two this year, theirs and the Avs.
Secondly, Columbus will need an impact player or two to compensate for Carter's immediate departure and the void he will leave behind. Washington has enticing prospects in the form of Cody Eakin and Dmitry Orlov, though the Caps seem quite keen on keeping the latter, while an impact player like Brooks Laich would certainly be appealing.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, the Jackets will want to land a better return than the what they paid for Carter in the first place, meaning they will want improved value on that 3rd round pick they added to the deal. For the Caps, that would mean adding in the Avs (or Bruins) 2nd round pick they are due this summer, or something better.
If the Caps can offer a package of the Avs 1st round pick in 2012, Brooks Laich, Cody Eakin and a 2nd, there's no question they are blowing the Jackets out of the water in comparison to the package they parted with to gain Carter in the first place, but would it be worth it for the Capitals?
Even if you could scale back the package a bit, it would still be a hefty offer to place on the table, but one that is still of great benefit to Washington.
It's a tough situation as the Caps clearly need help up the middle, and though Evgeny Kuznetsov may or may not cross the pond next summer, he is likely destined to play right wing as a rookie.
So, while parting with a large scale package would hit the wallet pretty hard, it's something the Caps can afford to do.
They are not in a "build for the future" mode, they are in a "go for it now" mode.
And with expectations of pushing beyond the abysmal playoff performances of the past few years, adding a guy of Carter's nature to the squad would go a long way for their hopes of accomplishing just that.
They can afford to part with the additional picks they've acquired and they can also do with parting with a few players from the current roster. And though I believe Laich is a true leader and a valuable piece to this team, I would still consider the risk of losing him and gaining Carter to be worth it.
The other element is that with Alex Semin spelling the end of his days in DC, and becoming a rather untradeable asset, the Capitals are verging on simply letting him walk.
And that's ok if Washington can bring Kuznetsov over.
The young Russian will be a far more valuable addition over retaining the enigmatic veteran Russian, and if the Caps can put together a package worthy of landing an impact player like Jeff Carter, they will be light-years ahead of where they currently are now.
It's a difficult situation as this franchise has spent so much time and money investing in building up their current roster, but having hit the wall and seeing their true weaknesses exposed, the only move left to make before giving up has got be going big.
It would have never been a feasible thought to acquire Jeff Carter prior to this season, but with the way things have gone for him in Columbus and with how things have transpired for the Caps in DC, it could very well be a match made in heaven.
Not an easy thought to wrap your head around, that is clear enough. But with Washington in desperate need of turning things around in the second half of the regular season, this is the type of scenario I can foresee this team pursuing.
They need another big time center and shouldn't waste time landing one.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Would you target Jeff Carter if you were George McPhee, and would you pay a price similar to what Columbus paid to land him, or greater?
It's a debate worth having as the issue of having a 2nd line center is the most pressing need this team has.
After gaining a point against the Lightning last night, the Caps travel further south to fight off the Florida Panthers for top spot in the division tonight.
They are learning to win and lose as a team without Ovechkin, Backstrom and Green, and while that's a positive for Dale Hunter's squad, their playoff hopes still lie in getting impact play from their impact players...impact players they still seem to be searching for.
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