At 36, Jeff Carter is still a good hockey player. Carter skates fast, which is native to playing for Pittsburgh. He is not the finisher he was in his best time (four seasons of more than 30 goals), but is a proven scorer. He has a shoot-first mentality that will be helpful. He is 6 feet-3 and opportunistic on the net. Carter is a winner: two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles.
The evaluation of the trade does not only depend on Carter.
It depends on what the Penguins really are.
The Penguins can be pretty sure of what they got. The price paid was not burdensome, but it is reasonable to question a team that traded this year’s first, third, fourth and fifth round draft changes when choosing even more drafts.
That bill is always due. Essay is about quantity as well as quality. You need enough feces to throw to the wall.
The Penguins gave the Kings conditional picks for the third and fourth rounds in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel were all choices in the third round.
Getting Carter is only worth it if the Penguins are legitimate Stanley Cup candidates.
Are they?
The Penguins are better than advertised. They are systematically solid. Injuries discovered depth. Sidney Crosby’s line plays lights out. So does Letang. The power play is 13 for the last 38, with Jared McCann’s shot and simplicity the main catalyst. The Penguins are 9-3-1 with Evgeni Malkin out, which can be interpreted in many fashions.
The East section is worse than advertised. This is at stake. The islanders of New York seem to be the best team, increasing their depth by getting wing Kyle Palmieri and center Travis Zajac of New Jersey. But power forward Anders Lee is unavailable for the year. The islanders are far from locks.
The Penguins can win a playoff series. They can come from the East. But could they beat Colorado, Tampa Bay or Vegas?
The Penguins can also go out in the first round. Like last year, and last year.
GM Ron Hextall said re-ownership of the system is a priority. It is therefore ironic that his first trade gives away concepts. It is also ironic that his first trade was exactly like that which his predecessor, Jim Rutherford, would do.
Acquiring a veteran like Carter gets the stench of acquiring Patrick Marleau from last year back in our nostrils. Hopefully it turns out to be Bill Guerin in 2009.
Is Malkin definitely set to return this season? Is Carter insurance if Malkin does not?
The Penguins do not need the guidance of Carter or his experience as a champion. The Penguins have a lot of that. They need Carter to play well, and nothing else.
Team chemistry is 90% fictional. It is awarded. You never hear of a championship team with bad chemistry or a last place with excellent chemistry.
How will the Penguins fit together if / when 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 the fourth line. This enables the Penguins to realize their dream of repeating the Islanders’ fourth series Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin.
But not when the playoffs begin: Hextall says Tanev, who reportedly has a shoulder, is unlikely to be available at the start of the post-season.
Frederick Gaudreau gets the nod when a forward is out. Gaudreau himself is currently injured. Someone is always like that, so those four rules will never really be put together. And if you have no doubt at all whether Malkin will return or be effective, do not pay attention.
The islanders made their move last week. Washington and Boston made it on the deadline.
Washington paid way too much to Detroit for wing Anthony Mantha. But players never have more value than on the deadline. Mantha is a shocking 6-5. He and Tom Wilson (6-4) will have a hard time dealing with the Penguins.
Boston got wing Taylor Hall from Buffalo. Hall was NHL’s MVP in 2018, but is perhaps currently the league’s most valuable player. Boston looked like the Eastern Division’s favorite before the start of the game. Now the Penguins must choose to meet the Bruins in the playoffs. Boston is a one-line team with a weak defensive corps that is well supported by good goalkeepers.