Account
Jeff Carter Reportedly Traded to Penguins from Kings for Multiple Draft Picks
April 12, 2021
The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly added some playoff experience to their roster heading into the season's stretch run.
On Sunday, Bob McKenzie of TSN reported the Los Angeles Kings traded veteran center Jeff Carter to the Penguins. McKenzie noted the Penguins will send Los Angeles "a couple of conditional draft picks," while the Kings will retain salary on Carter.
There was a time when this would have been a major addition for the Penguins.
Carter, who has also spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers and. Columbus Blue Jackets, is a two-time All-Star who won a pair of championships with the Kings. He also has eight seasons with 50 or more points on his résumé, including when he poured in 84 points on 46 goals and 38 assists for the Flyers in 2008-09.
However, Carter is 36 years old at this point and finished with a combined plus-minus of minus-41 during the previous two seasons.
He is at minus-six this season and has 19 points in 40 games.
The center is no longer the game-changing presence he was in his prime, although the Penguins will not rely on him to carry the team like the Flyers did for stretches earlier in his career. Rather, he is more of a depth piece for a Penguins team—currently sitting in third place in the East Division with 56 points—with championship aspirations.
The Penguins also know Carter will not be intimidated by the moment when the playoffs do roll around. The veteran has appeared in 120 postseason games in his career.