At 36, Jeff Carter is still a good hockey player. Carter skates swiftly, which is indigenous to playing for Pittsburgh. He’s not the finisher he was in his prime (four seasons of 30-plus goals), but is a proven scorer. He’s got a shoot-first mentality that will be useful. He’s 6-foot-3 and opportunistic at the net. Carter is a winner: Two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles.
Evaluating that trade doesn’t depend just on Carter.
It depends on what the Penguins really are.
The Penguins can be relatively sure of what they got. The price paid wasn’t onerous, though it’s fair to question a team that had traded this year’s first-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round draft picks when it trades away still more draft picks.
That bill always comes due. Drafting is about quantity as well as quality. You need ample excrement to throw at the wall.
The Penguins gave the Kings conditional third- and fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel were all third-round choices.
Getting Carter is only worth it if the Penguins are legit Stanley Cup contenders.
Are they?
The Penguins are better than had been advertised. They’re solid systemically. Injuries have uncovered depth. Sidney Crosby’s line is playing lights out. So is Letang. The power play is 13 for its last 38, with Jared McCann’s shot and simplicity the primary catalysts. The Penguins are 9-3-1 with Evgeni Malkin out, which can be interpreted in many fashions.
The East Division is worse than had been advertised. It’s up for grabs. The New York Islanders seem the best team, adding to their depth by getting winger Kyle Palmieri and center Travis Zajac from New Jersey. But power forward Anders Lee is out for the year. The Islanders are far from locks.
The Penguins can win a playoff series. They can get out of the East. But could they beat Colorado, Tampa Bay or Vegas?
The Penguins could also go out in the first round. Like last year, and the year before.
GM Ron Hextall had said that restocking the system was a priority. So, it’s ironic that his first trade dealt away draft picks. It’s also ironic that his first trade was exactly like one that his predecessor, Jim Rutherford, would have made.
Acquiring a veteran like Carter gets the stench of last year’s Patrick Marleau acquisition back in our nostrils. Hopefully it turns out like getting Bill Guerin in 2009.
Is Malkin definite to return this season? Is Carter insurance in case Malkin doesn’t?
The Penguins don’t need Carter’s leadership, or his experience as a champion. The Penguins have plenty of that. They need Carter to play well, and nothing else.
Team chemistry is 90% fictional. It’s assigned after the fact. You never hear about a championship team with bad chemistry or a last-place team with great chemistry.
How will the Penguins fit together when/if everyone is healthy?
Crosby centers Guentzel and Rust. Malkin is flanked by McCann and Kasperi Kapanen. Carter is between Jason Zucker and Evan Rodrigues. Teddy Blueger, Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev are, finally, truly the fourth line. It allows the Penguins to realize their dream of replicating the Islanders’ fourth line of Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin.
But not when the playoffs start: Hextall says that Tanev, who reportedly has a bum shoulder, will likely be unavailable at the beginning of the postseason.
Frederick Gaudreau gets the nod when a forward is out. Gaudreau himself is currently hurt. Somebody always is, so those four lines will never actually be assembled. And if you don’t have doubt about Malkin returning at all, or effectively, you’re not paying attention.
The Islanders made their move last week. Washington and Boston made theirs at the deadline.
Washington paid way too much to Detroit for winger Anthony Mantha. But players never have more value than at the trade deadline. Mantha is a hulking 6-5. He and Tom Wilson (6-4) will be difficult for the Penguins to handle.
Boston got winger Taylor Hall from Buffalo. Hall was NHL MVP in 2018 but may currently be the league’s least valuable player. Boston looked like the East division’s favorite before play started. Now the Penguins should prefer to meet the Bruins in the playoffs. Boston is a one-line team with a weak defensive corps propped up somewhat by good goaltending.
