Flyers deal Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets

With the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov likely to happen any day now, we knew the Flyers were going to have to trade someone to clear cap space. The first casualty: Jeff Carter, who has been traded to the Blue Jackets for RW Jakub Voracek and a 1st and 3rd round pick. The first round pick is 8th overall.

First, let's deal with the cap implications. Trading Carter, who signed an 11 year contract that kicks in next year, clears 5.75 million dollars off the cap. The Flyers will need to sign Voracek, who made 1.27 million last year and is now a restricted free agent, and he could demand somewhere around 3 million per year. That should get the Flyers closer to having enough space to sign Bryzgalov, who is rumored to want close to 7 million dollars a year, but they will still need to make another move.

Getting rid of Carter and his 30+ goal per season output will certainly hurt the offense but the Flyers should be a better team in the long run. Not only do they add the pieces in this deal, which include two draft picks and a young skater with some upside, but the Flyers essentially also got Bryzgalov in the deal since they can now almost afford to sign him.

As for the one player the Flyers got in the deal who will suit up for them next season, Voracek will be 22 when the season starts and already has three NHL season under his belt. He's a former 7th overall pick in the 2007 draft and has shown some solid offensive skills, averaging 13 goals and 45 assists per season. He's also a right winger, so the dealing of Carter should help the Flyers clear up their center logjam.

This is a huge deal for the Flyers that represents a new way of thinking for the club. They are now building from the goaltender out, giving up some of their depth to ensure some stability in net. Count on another deal or two in the coming days as the Flyers might have to shed a little more salary to fit Bryzgalov under the cap. I'd put money on Kris Versteeg being the next to go but they could also move a bigger name.

Flyers sign Jeff Carter to 11 year extension

Get used to seeing Jeff Carter in a Flyers uniform. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, Carter has signed an 11 year contract extension that will keep him with the Flyers through 2022. The huge deal is worth 58 million and will cost the Flyers a cap hit of 5.27 million per year.

While Carter is a polarizing figure to many fans, one can't argue that the Flyers just locked up a great player for a reasonable price. For at least the next few years, Carter will be the 4th highest player on the team, a good deal for a player that is entering his prime and is capable of putting up 40 goals a season.

Love him or hate him, Jeff Carter is here to stay. Sure, he isn't exactly responsible in his own end, but if Carter can average 35 goals a season for the next decade, I don't think many will care about his defensive shortcomings. While it also would be nice if he weren't such a streaky scorer, Carter doesn't miss many games due to injury and will be a weapon the Flyers offense can rely on for years to come.

The Flyers have done well to lock up the core of their team, with Carter, Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Claude Giroux and Chris Pronger all under contract through the 2013-14 season. Up next for the Flyers will be extending Ville Leino, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. With the reasonable contract the Flyers gave Carter, there should be plenty of room under the cap for a solid contributor like Leino.

Carter's hat trick helps Flyers crush Hurricanes

When Jeff Carter scores, two things usually happen: he scores in bunches and the Flyers win. Such was the case on Thursday night as Carter, in his 3rd multi-goal game of the season, picked up a hat trick as the Flyers embarrassed the Hurricanes, 8-1. The win also moved the Flyers record to 4-0 when Carter scores a goal.

For Carter, it was a great game at the right time considering all of the talk about a possible contract extension. After a slow start, Carter now has 8 goals on the season and is on pace to score 40 on the year. While he doesn't seem to score the big goals in low-scoring games, Carter does have a knack for finding the back of the net against weaker teams, as all of his goals this season have come against teams in the bottom ten in goals against this year. Whether that's enough to merit big money in a contract extension is something the Flyers will have to figure out.

Four other Flyers scored goals against Carolina, including Danny Briere, who scored twice, and Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell and Nikolay Zherdev, who all scored once. With the way the Flyers offense is clicking, as Ville Leino and Claude Giroux are making beautiful setup passes to guys like Briere, Zherdev and Hartnell who are consistently finding the back of the net, few teams will be able to slow them down. Add in one of the best defenses in the league and the stellar play of Sergei Bobrovsky in net and you have the makings of a team that is destined for another deep Cup run.
(AP PHOTO)