NHL Trade Rumors: Blue Jackets' Hapless Season May Mean Jeff Carter LA-Bound

For the Columbus Blue Jackets it's time to hit the eject button on Jeff Carter and send him westward, where he can't do any more damage. 

The LA Kings may be the perfect landing spot for the player that has not lived up to his initial promise. 

The Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson rumors that the time has come to ditch the Carter experiment, and he eyes the LA Kings as the perfect landing spot. 

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The Jackets need a team with cap room and young bodies in return. ... The Jackets would probably be looking at the Los Angeles Kings, because Carter and Mike Richards were a tandem in Philadelphia and one of those could play the wing.

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There is, of course, the notion that Carter would hit the Kings in the wallets big time. He would hit the Kings' cap at $5.272 million from now until 2022. So Columbus would no doubt have to sweeten any deal by taking on some Kings' refuse as well. 

The fact is, he has not fit well in Columbus and may in fact be playing well out of position. The thought was nice and all, but it's not the time to be stubborn. 

Things are not going to get better with Carter in Columbus, and a change of scenery and position is exactly what the doctor ordered. 

ESPN's John Buccigross has the same thinking on the issues facing the cellar-dwelling team. 

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Columbus overpaid for him. I see him as a sniping winger, not a center. He scored a lot in Philly because he shot a lot. His shots are way down this season. Incredible release and good size. Poor playoff numbers and casual play are turnoffs for me. There is so much promise here.

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The Kings could offer something in the way of depth at goalie in Jonathan Bernier, or a number of other prospects. The bigger point is that it gives them an actual team that could make use of a winger that just needs the right system to flourish. 

In Columbus, things are a nightmare for Carter and that helps nobody. It's time to hit the eject button now and get what you can from a contract that looks more and more like an egregious mistake. 

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