Joined: Apr. 2021
Posts: 1
Likes: 1
As a Kings fan, I like this for reasons beyond the return.
* It frees up a spot in the top 6 for either Arthur Kalyev or Samuel ****emo to take over at 2RW
* $2.6 mill in more cap space for a Kings team already in an obscenely-good cap situation, with a flat cap coming for at least 3 years due to Covid.
* Carter didn't want to be traded, but seemed disinterested in hockey. Next year will be his last. He has a new wife and a nice house at the beach. He was worried more about that than a rebuild.
I honestly thought the Kings would have trouble moving his contract based on how he's played for he past several years. Hasn't been the same since his achillies injury.
Having said that, Carter is an historically-clutch performer. 44 game-winning goals out of the 194 he scored as a King. 2nd all-time behind only Luc Robitaille in Kings playoff power play goals with 10. 3rd all-time in Kings playoff goals behind only Robitaille & Gretzky. For those reasons, it was worth the risk the Pens took, and that makes it a fair trade for both teams.