NHL Trade Rumors: Why Teams Should Stay Away From Jeff Carter

As a Philly guy, I didn't weep tears of sorrow when the Philadelphia Flyers traded away Jeff Carter this offseason.

And as a Philly guy, I feel comfortable saying teams should be aware that Carter is a lot more glitter than gold and should consider avoiding the forward altogether.

Wait a second, you might be thinking. Carter is an excellent goal-scorer who has posted 29 goals or more the past four seasons. Why wouldn't a team want that sort of production?

They do want that sort of production. And there are teams out there very interested in acquiring Mr. Carter. 

But Carter has been accused of being soft, a defensive liability and a man who enjoys his time off the ice so much that it might affect his game on it. He and Mike Richards were known for thoroughly enjoying the night life during their time in Philadelphia, and it's been suggested that their lifestyle was one of the reasons they were traded.

It was also floated around the league that character issues and a lack of leadership from the pair in the locker room may have caused the trades.

One way or another, Jeff Carter, thought to be a future star for the Flyers, was traded this offseason and he's already unhappy on his new team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Is the potential that Carter will bring a poor attitude worth his goal-scoring ability?

At this point, it might be given that a team will probably be able to get Carter for far cheaper than Columbus did when it traded with the Flyers given the common knowledge that both Carter and the team want a change.

So in that regard, go for the good deal if you can get him on the cheap. Just be forewarned that Carter may bring more to the table than goals, and not in a good way.

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