Yesterday, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Jeff Carter from the Philadelphia Flyers. The price was steep, but for a #1 center and one of the league's top goal scorers it was fair in my opinion.
However, after hearing some comments, I'm left wondering whether Jeff Carter is the right fit for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Apart from some of the rumors and gossip that have surrounded Carter the past couple of years, and the fact that Carter is so disappointed and shocked that he hasn't spoken to Columbus yet, I'm also just not sure that he's the right fit from a hockey perspective.
The reason the Blue Jackets acquired Carter was because Rick Nash needs a #1 center. It's already been stated that Carter is likely to play with Nash. However, I see this as a problem because both Nash and Carter are among the league's elite snipers. This past year, Carter was third and Nash was sixth in the league in most shots on goal as can be found here. It's difficult to fathom two players who are so prone to shoot the puck having good chemistry together. So if they play together, one will have to start thinking about passing as opposed to shooting, which isn't the strength of either player. In the super competitive Central Division, I just don't think it's going to work out well.
However, if coach Scott Arniel is smart he'll end up splitting up Rick Nash and Jeff Carter. For all the talk of Nash needing a better center, he's still been able to score 30+ goals four the past five seasons. Likewise, Carter has scored 33+ goals in each of the past three seasons. Columbus has other solid top-6 forwards at their disposal in Brassard, Umberger, Huselies, and Vermette. They could also possibly sign Scottie Upshall before he becomes a free agent giving them another possible top-6 forward. So it would seem possible to construct two scoring lines, one for each of their star goal scorers. And it would still help Nash as his line would no longer be the only line that rival teams are looking to shutdown.
So, in the long run I think Jeff Carter can be successful in Columbus, but I would think the way to do it would be not playing with Rich Nash.
Oh, and Columbus needs a puck-moving defenseman to get him the puck in the first place.
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