According to Bob
McKenzie and confirmed by multiple other sources, the Philadelphia Flyers
have traded center Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets for winger Jakub
Voracek, the number 8 overall pick and Columbus’ third round pick in the 2011
NHL Entry.
There have been murmurs about this deal for the past few
weeks and now it has finally happened.
Columbus finally gets Rick Nash a top line player to play
alongside. Carter, 26, has 29 or more
goals in four straight seasons and with Nash should form one of the top duo’s
in the NHL. There is certainly risk
involved for Columbus as they are taking on an 11-year contract extension that
Carter inked earlier this season. The
cap hit of $5.27 million per is very reasonable for a player of his skill, but
there is no clue how good or bad that deal will look down the line.
For the Flyers, the deal had to made in order to clear cap
space, especially if they are going to sign Ilya Bryzgalov to anywhere near the
$7 million he apparently wants his new contract to be worth. Considering the situation for GM Paul
Holmgren he did very well in his return for Carter. Voracek is a promising young forward with tremendous
hands and is still growing at the NHL level with high upside. The
number 8 pick in this year’s draft also has high value, but the key is getting
out from under the contract and clearing cap space.
Overall the deal is probably a win-win for both sides with
the Flyers likely gaining as the years progress.
