Darren Dreger’s TSN blog had a lot to say today: As NHL teams approach the 20 game mark, the level of legitimate trade discussion is increasing.
And Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter is a prime target.
It’s believed the Flyers would like to add a more defensive minded forward to their mix, a player capable of shutting down the oppositions offensive threats. Carter could be the bait to get just such a player.
And The Vancouver Canucks may have that player.
Ryan Kesler has been among Vancouver’s most consistent performers and recently was assigned the task of defending against Colorado’s Joe Sakic.
Combine the fact in September of 2006, at current GM Paul Holmgren’s urging, the Flyers signed Kesler to an offer sheet with the Canucks search for a top six forward, and Philadelphia and Vancouver may have a match.
Speculation is the Flyers would want more.
The question is, how much more?
If the asking price includes additional names like young defencemen, Luc Bourdon or Alex Edler, or goaltending prospect Cory Schneider, then Canucks general manager Dave Nonis will likely keep searching.
Matt’s Two Cents: Honestly, if Holmgren came up to Dave Nonis right now and offered Jeff Carter straight up for Ryan Kesler, it would be very, very hard for me to say no, even considering Kesler’s hard work this season. Very hard. Jeff Carter has potential to be a first line centre in the NHL, and considering the fact he is younger than Kesler with more offensive potential, the deal would make sense for both teams.
The two sides might very well be trading partners.
But in the mean time, how bad would I feel for Ryan Kesler. Here’s a guy who was offered a $1.9M offer sheet in Fall ‘06, is injured for a large chunk of the regular season, comes back to the playoffs and breaks his thumb and has to watch his team get beaten by a Ducks’ team that had a lot more heart and physicality, something Kesler might’ve been able to bring to the table. Then, the kid comes to training camp hoping to prove he’s a top-six forward. And, while the numbers haven’t been all too convincing, Kesler has brought a lot of spunk to the Canuck lineup.
But again, man would it be tough to turn down Jeff Carter. However, if Dreger’s speculation that the Flyers would ask for more is correct, I’d probably say no to the deal. Adding a budding prospect like Bourdon/Edler/Schneider would be giving up too much. A draft pick I could live with. But the above three are sure-fire NHLers down the road, no question.
Jeff Carter… *sigh*
