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The Los Angeles Kings have officially turned it around after a tumultuous season in 2014-15. They defended their Stanley Cup championship by missing the playoffs. It was the biggest disappointment of the season. This season, they were determined to not let it happen again.
Jeff Carter has been one of the catalysts in the turnaround of the Kings. He is leading the team in points with 20 in 21 games. He is second in the NHL with a plus-13 rating. It would be crazy to think of moving Carter now, or would it?
Carter’s contract still has seven years on it. Many probably forget this guy signed a ridiculous 11-year contract. That is definitely something to consider when trying to move Carter. Nobody is going to confuse him with Sidney Crosby or Tyler Seguin, but he could definitely help plenty of teams around the league.
The Kings are going to have cap space issues for years to come, but they will never have a cash flow issue. They can pay the cash to players, but need to work out the cap space. If they move Carter, they can give it to a team that is strapped for cash, but need a player to help them make it to the cap floor. Carter’s deal pays one more year at $7 million, but progressively drops all the way to $2 million in his final season. His cap hit is around $5.3 million every season.
Carter could be a veteran scoring presence on more than half the teams in the league. He continues to show he still has a lot left to give. The Kings may not be champions right now if it isn’t for Carter. Trading him is tricky. The problem is it could be necessary.
The Kings could have close to $20 million in cap space going into next season. That seems like a lot, but there are many players they will want to re-sign. The main piece is Anze Kopitar, who will want a raise. He is currently making $6.8 million, but he could get up to $9 million per season, which eliminates half of the cap space.
On top of Kopitar, Milan Lucic will want a raise. He won’t cost near as much as Kopitar, but he will still get about $4-5 million per season. Now there is about $5 million left if the Kings sign both those players, which they will want to do.
Carter may not bring a huge return because of his contract, but all options should be discussed. The Kings can survive without Carter, but they won’t be better without him. To have any flexibility for the next few years, they can’t afford him. They should not try to give him away, but a move should at least be part of their conversation.
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