With the trade deadline fast approaching the Toronto Maple Leafs are currently in 8th place and only 5 points from 11th in the east (close is an understatement) and have yet to make a splash for the many players rumoured to be up for grabs. One of the bigger names is that of Jeff Carter, the 6' 3" 200lb center for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Toronto needs two pieces to have a hope of winning a playoff series, a legitimate #1 goaltender and a BIG #1 center. Carter could be the answer up front. Since he has entered the NHL Carter has averaged 30+ goals a year which would certainly be a boost to the teams offense. One question mark and possibly the deciding factor as to wether or not Burke lands his coveted centerman is the 10 years left on Carters massive contract given to him by the Flyers, at $5,275,000 annually it seems like a high price to pay but there are some factors that personally I feel are to the contrary;
1. Grabovski will likely make 5+ mill a year when he signs a contract this off season, and carter is (as of right now) the better player.
2. With the looming collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, its not unlikely that 5 years from now (half way through his contract) 3rd line NHLers with little offensive impact could be making the same if not more than Carter.
3. You will likely not soon see, if ever a once 46 goal scorer on the market at an anual cap hit of just over 5 mill again.
4. He has been disaster in Columbus and his hometown (a London native) Leafs and favourite childhood team could be exactly what he needs.
What do you think of a possible trade for Carter, assuming Grabovski will likely be included in any deal for the centerman should the leafs pull the trigger?
maybe Dustin Brown?
ReplyDeletelol Carter traded right after i wrote this blog, dustin brown is a good player but he will command much more in a trade than he is worth... besides him being a veteran leader which the leafs are lacking, anything burke puts together would be over paying for sure.
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