Report: Carter requesting trade?
He has been there for just 8 games.
Report: Carter requesting trade?
He has been there for just 8 games.
But does Jeff Carter want out of Columbus?
The hot rumor circulating throughout the NHL is that Carter has asked the Blue Jackets, who are in the midst of the worst start in team history, for a trade.
Renaud Lavoie, a respected French Canadian journalist from RDS, said he spoke to Carter’s agent, Philadelphia-based Rick Curran, who denied the report.
Here is a rough translation Lavoie’s report:
“By the American Thanksgiving (a week), several general managers will try to trade to improve their team. A name that is currently circulating is that of Jeff Carter.
Not that the Blue Jackets want to trade him, but because he is asking a trade.
Many GMs are aware of this fact.
But when I contacted the agent for Jeff Carter, Rick Curran, the latter told me that his client did not request a trade, contrary to rumors.”
How bad are things in Columbus?
Carter is still looking for his first goal in a Blue Jackets uniform. He missed 10 games - including a rematch here in Philly on Nov. 5 in which the Flyers whacked Columbus, 9-2 - but has collected just 3 assists in 8 games played. He returned to the lineup on Nov. 12 after missing nearly a full month.
There are only 5 teams in the NHL who have not won at least 3 times on the road this season. Columbus has just 3 wins total. They are 0-7-1 on the road after Thursday’s 2-1 shootout loss in Boston.
With that, they have all but eliminated themselves from the super tight playoff race in the Western Conference, though it is only the middle of November. Columbus is already 13 points back of 8th place.
The Blue Jackets have not made any big moves to try and shake things up. There have been no major trades, other than acquiring Mark Letestu from Pittsburgh. Coach Scott Arniel and GM Scott Howson still have their jobs.
In fact, former coach Ken Hitchcock - who was still under contract with the Blue Jackets this season - was hired in St. Louis on Nov. 6. Under Hitchcock, the Blues (4-0-1) have amassed as more points in 12 nights (9) than the Blue Jackets have all season (8).
Still, we have a hard time believing that the Blue Jackets have any interest in dealing Carter, even if he did request a deal.
Carter was one of their marquee offseason acquisitions, brought in to be the centerpiece on a line with Rick Nash. They haven’t yet had enough time to create any chemistry.
Besides, there were reports in the Columbus Dispatch that Carter and Nash - who are just a year apart - have become close friends and attended Ohio State football games together.
Then again, it’s not hard to imagine that it has been a miserable ride in Columbus for Carter, who was clearly not expecting to get dealt last summer. Not after signing an 11-year deal with the Flyers a few months earlier. Not after reportedly being told by general manager Paul Holmgren that he would not be traded in a face-to-face meeting.
After being sent from a perennial contender to a franchise in the middle of Ohio with a tepid fan-base that has seen the playoffs just once in 11 seasons, it is more or less a culture shock.
If you recall, it took Columbus sending Arniel and Howson to Carter’s shore house in Sea Isle City, N.J., a full 4 days after the trade before he would publicly address the trade. Carter said that he felt “betrayed” and “angered.”
Knowing Carter, it is hard to believe that he wouldn’t be willing to stick it out a bit longer to see how things play out.
At the very least, there would not be any shortage of interested general managers if Carter did indeed request a trade. Consistent 35-goal scorers with long-term, manageable salary cap hits don’t exactly grow on trees.
We’ll keep you posted.
REALIGNMENT TALK: One interesting bit of news regarding the upcoming vote on realignment by the NHL’s Board of Governors in the playoff format.
According to CBC’s Elliotte Friedman, who has been at the forefront of the realignment news, one of the topics is a playoff system that would feature the first two rounds of intra-division play. Once the division “winners” are determined, then the remaining 4 teams would be re-seeded regardless of conference.
That would allow, say, teams like the Flyers and Penguins to play each other in the Stanley Cup Finals if they were indeed to play in different divisions next season. It would also mean that teams from the East and West could square off one round earlier than usual.
What do you think?
BRING A JACKET: After topping Phoenix on Thursday night, the Flyers boarded their charter jet. Destination: Winnipeg, Manitoba - also known as the coldest city in the world with a population of more than 600,000 people.
The Flyers arrived at 1:31 am CST (2:31 am EST) and were scheduled for an afternoon practice at the MTS Centre.
The high daytime temperature in Winnipeg on Saturday is a balmy 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The puck drops in the prairie town at 3 o’clock.
It is the Flyers’ first trip to Winnipeg since March 22, 1996.
The Jets walloped Washington, 4-1, on Thursday night, as they notched their first back-to-back home wins since moving to Winnipeg from Atlanta last summer.
“A lot of my friends and family are excited to get back to Winnipeg,” said Chris Pronger, who is one of just two Flyers to have played in the old Winnipeg Arena. For Pronger, a 4-hour drive to Winnipeg from his hometown of Dryden, Ontario, made it easily his closest NHL city. “I know the fans are real excited to have a team back. You’ve seen the sold out crowds. They’ve gotten off to a rough start but they’re playing better of late. We’ve got to be focused and prepared. It should be a good game. It will be a lot of fun.”
QUOTABLE:
“Honestly, I think I have, but I don’t even know what it is. You’d know if I was starting a riot out there.”
-Forward Zac Rinaldo, who was given a 10-minute misconduct for “inciting,” was asked whether he had ever been called for the penalty before.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
- Richards has done well in LA. I don't think that Holmgren or Snider underappreciated what they did. They did sign them to contracts that were over a decade long. I think that there was more behind the scenes than just partying. Plenty of rumors that both Carter and Richards had a huge sense of being bullet proof and being able to do whatever they wanted.
— JSaq 
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Carts better go somewhere where the rink is not drafty. I understand it was those gentle breezes in the Wachovia Center that knocked him off the puck all the time. I still remember the last time Carts actually hit somebody on the ice -- Canadian juniors like a gazillion years ago, and that was probably an accident. But I sure do miss those 10 harmless shots a game he took, usually killing a legit scoring opportunity for somebody else on the rush....— beachlawyr
- Most important part of story: Zac Rinaldo is USELESS...— Ump Al
- Carter reminds me of the Republican Party, always whining when things don't go their way. Bush destroyed teh economy, yet Republicans whine about how the black president "destroyed" the country because he is a black Socialist who is black. Fox News always talks about Obama is black. I am sick of it. Carter needs to understand that he doesn't want to look like a Republican.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Horrible analogy. what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul. — Bob Sacamano
- elmaricóndelsol: Barack has totally destroyed the economy:
Obama told us give him a billion dollar stimulus fund and he would fix everything. Now two and a half years later over 400,000 new jobless claims last week were filed, unemployment is rising again. It is now 9.1%. The true unemployment rate is estimated at 17% or more. There were only 38,000 jobs created last month.
In two and a half years Obama has created a deficit of over $5 trillion. His deficit is larger in this short time than the deficit of George Bush in eight years.
Add to that the housing collapse. Millions of Americans are losing their homes. Millions more are upside down in their
mortgages, there is no relief in sight.
mortgages, there is no relief in sight.ht. - wrong Hat Trick. The war we are still fighting costs the U.S. taxpayers $25M a day and priceless lives to boot. The fall of our economy can be traced to the reckless behavior of banks, who after receiving bail-out $$ proceeded to award bonuses and virtually stonewalled lending to qualified people who could use it to reinvest in the economy via housing and small business. The banks returned the money to the fed, used it to turn profits and have not done a thing to help middle Americans. Same with corps who have not increased hiring even though they are turning record profits and the 1% in this country continue to get richer by the hour. This is the fault of the black man in the white house? But at least the Republicans rallied to keep tax cuts for the rich because that has proved to create more jobs, didn't it?
— Sam Crow - Either keep him in Columbus or send him to another basement dweller. That idiot doesn't deserve to be on a good team. He doesn't want to work hard for anything, he's too much of a prima donna.— taxmanndumbeth
- Ump Al, Zac's not useless, you're clueless :) Zac Rinaldo is a 4th line guy that brings a ton of energy, hits harder than anyone on the team, and fights when required. For a 4th liner he skates pretty well, has some offensive upside, and doesn't take a minor penalty every time he's on the ice. Contrast that with the " truly useless" goons most teams carry and bringing up Zac was a really smart decision by Holmgren and Laviolette. Players seem to appreciate him outs there.— beachlawyr
- I asked @TSNBobMcKenzie, @Sean_Leahy (yahoo), and @DNFlyers about the playoff structure 2 weeks ago...only @Sean_Leahy responded:
@lagsetsfire: @Sean_Leahy what if nhl had no conferences, just 4 divs? playoffs: div 1-4, then reseed div champs 1-4. all star pick up game is unaffected.
@Sean_Leahy: @lagsetsfire I think they like keeping the confs separate. What'll be interesting is if Pho moves in summer. Would that f things up more?
@lagsetsfire: @Sean_Leahy 4 geo divs w/o confs would allow for SC finals of Phi-Bos, MTL-NYR, Pit-Was, Van-Det, LA-Chi. i agree unlikely, but unique
— lagsetsfire - Carter = Soft— jamarder
- Columbus is a perfectly fine city. Snobby attitudes like some of those displayed on here regarding other parts of the country are exactly the reason why the rest of the country despises the northeast. As for the actual team, the Bluejackets are definitely bad. However, if I was a top tier player I would view it as a good challenge to help turn the team around.— Penfold18
