Trade talk, rumors and speculation is what the NHL offseason has come to be all about. But in the case of the Flyers moving center Jeff Carter, general manager Paul Holmgren put a stop to the chatter.
“People see things (websites and blogs) and think that he’s available. It’s not the case,” Holmgren told CSN’s John Boruk.
“It’s hard to find a 6-foot-3 centerman who can skate. I can’t see Jeff Carter anywhere but with the Flyers.”
It doesn’t get much clearer than that.
Carter, 25, who currently owns a salary cap hit of $5 million this season, is set to become a restricted free agent next offseason. Forced to play wing in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals due to a foot injury, which opened the door for the emergence of Danny Briere and Claude Giroux as full-time pivots, Carter’s value as a center on the Flyers roster diminished.
But his value on the open market may never be higher.
With the Flyers struggling to arm themselves against a tight cap, an extremely weak free agent crop helps Carter’s value on the open market exceed that of previous seasons and potentially in the future, which caused many to believe Carter would be the odd-man out.
Carter has 277 points in 387 regular season games as a Flyer.
Phila.Bright 