Confirmed with Link: Jeff Carter Traded to Pittsburgh / Jeff Carter Appreciation Thread

[Peter James Bond III]

Here now:::::::::::::

keep this link open, next 24 hours:

Trade Tracker

 

[Steve Zissou]

Man, it's feels like yesterday...



The moment we traded for Jeff Carter (shortly after the Richards trade and his stint in Columbus was, shall we shay, not really working out....) I knew that was the final piece to have a chance at winning the cup.

The 2012 and 2014 cup runs were such unforgettable times. You remember all the fans you interacted with - the ones who had been around for 20-30 years... even their grandkids now rooting for the team with such fever. It's crazy to see the passion of a fanbase pass down from generation to generation, especially when said team had NEVER won anything, ever.

I haven't told anybody here but I since I work as a freelancer with The LA Kings I was hired to shoot (photos) of The Stanley Cup when we won it in 2012 (I got to shoot it again of course in 2014 but the 1st one is always the most special).

I get a call at like 9 or 10pm at night. I typically don't even answer calls that late at night. I race from Long Beach all the way up to Redondo Beach as fast as I could.

We finally get into the hotel room (a dingy Motel 6-like dump that I can't even remember which hotel, but I digress, who cares!?) around midnight and start setting up a bunch of lights and photo and video equipment.

About an hour later the Keeper of The Cup arrives with the Cup in a rolling hard cover Anvil type case, white gloves and all, of course, and let me tell, he still looks EXACTLY how he did the decade prior. Same hairdo, same jovial expression on his face, even for it being around 1 am.

We got to shoot the cup for about 2 amazing hours before the Keeper took her away from us. The entire time it was hard not to want to read every name on every team on the Cup. It's hard to describe how electrifying the cup looked completely polished and radiant in front of a huge swath of lights. Hardly any team member even ate a slice of pizza that night because it was so hard to not be consumed by the presence of the Cup.

Some of those photos are huge prints around the tunnels leading out to the ice on the lower level, and although I don't get to to many games, I always stop and give a little wink to those photos because it brings me back to the moments winning the cup, Bob and Jim's voice, and the connecting with random Kings fans around town and at the games.

It's such an odd but electrifying feeling how joyous those (2) cup runs were, and Jeff was a huge part of that.

Those are moments I will take with me to the grave.

 

[tny760]

well that's an unexpected headline to come back to.. guess getting anything for him is a win even with retention. appreciation for his past here can't be understated, he did the damn thing. happy trails.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Well this thread suddenly has made me all teary eyed, haha. Guess I'm gonna modify the title now since it's memories more than the picks anyone cares about.

Said it before I'll cry like a little baby if ever Kopi, Quick and Doughty is traded but not going to lie Carts being traded does make me sad a bit. Thanks Jeff for everything.

I mean it makes sense, doesn't it? I'd argue the guys just outside those core three were Carter, Muzzin, Martinez, Richards, Greene, Mitchell, Williams. Each one stung in it's own way, but this is one of the last few remaining. I always kind of figured the last ones standing would be Doughty, Kopitar, Brown, Quick...but that doesn't make it easier shedding arguably the next in line.

Guy was a total stud. The injury really took a bite out of him but it really is his hands that have betrayed him the last couple of years.

Kings legend. Loved feeling it was a 50% chance the puck was going in if he was coming down the wing with speed.

I feel like the injury robbed him of that first step. He still had the top end speed, but before, if he didn't have someone jamming the receiver at the line of scrimmage, no one was catching Jeff Carter.

Agree his hands have started going, father time comes for everyone unfortunately. Hope he can find some fire/inspiration like he was able to muster at the beginning of this season to burn out bright.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Couple more memories

Never forget this year he absolutely f***ing buried Alex Kerfoot and (happily) Nazem Kadri so violently that they had to make a phantom call. And that in his last game he casually flattened 3 dudes with his ass

My favorite Carter goal was him stiffarming Lindholm like a god damn cartoon in Game 7 vs. the Ducks, just like Game 7 vs. the Sharks, there was no doubt who was moving on.

We'll miss you, good ol Only In Blowouts.

 

[tny760]

Couple more memories

Never forget this year he absolutely f***ing buried Alex Kerfoot and (happily) Nazem Kadri so violently that they had to make a phantom call. And that in his last game he casually flattened 3 dudes with his ass

My favorite Carter goal was him stiffarming Lindholm like a god damn cartoon in Game 7 vs. the Ducks, just like Game 7 vs. the Sharks, there was no doubt who was moving on.

We'll miss you, good ol Only In Blowouts.

i just saw that kerfoot hit yesterday in some random youtube hit compilation video oddly enough

what a f***in hit, loved his casual edgework coming out of it too

 

[kingsholygrail]

Pretty crazy that he was able to be moved. Who will be the whipping boy now?

 

[Little Psycho]

The Dry Island is no more....

 

[kilowatt]

One of my absolute favorite Carter memories was his hat trick on free hat night! So many hats fell from the sky that night, it was beautiful. The anticipation in the building once he stole the puck on the breakaway...



Well f*** me, I'm getting sentimental now too!

 

[KingsFan7824]

Kings retain, maybe get future picks, and maybe Carter retires after the season. Conditions are probably some combination of GP, pts, how deep Pit goes, how many playoff games Carter plays, how many games he plays/pts he gets in the Final, if Pit wins the Cup, if he plays 50 games next year, if the Pens go to the 3rd rd in 2022, etc. I would assume the conditional 4th in 2023 is easier to get than the conditional 3rd in 2022. I could realistically see the Kings getting nothing unless the Pens win the Cup.

In terms of nostalgia, those days are done for me. There was a while there every player leaving from the golden age hit. Although that was mostly retirements. Too many losses since though. Too many bad losses. Too many bad seasons. That first Cup is damn near a decade ago now. There's obviously no Cup without Carter. That was DL likely trying to save his own job because everything before Carter had not yet added up to contending, and he went all in on Richards.

2nd in goals since he got here. 20 ahead of Brown, in 130 fewer games. Only 9 fewer than Kopitar, in 140 fewer games. Game by game, the top goal scorer on the team since 2012. 3rd in total pts. 3rd in pts%, if you include Lucic's one season.

Carter has been here this long because of the contract. I don't blame him, Blake, or DL. It's just a reality of the cap. It would seem likely that he's thinking about retirement, this would be his last chance, and Pit likely takes little to no risk.

 

[Sol]

This was needed. Value aside. This was needed. Thanks Carter.

 

[funky]

He helped us too 2 Stanley Cups in the past and nets us a couple of picks as a going away gift. Loved watching him play pre injury. Hope he does well in Pittsburgh.

 

[Little Psycho]

I'm surprised Blake got an offer. Gonna miss Carts. He showed up during the crucial times in the playoffs. I remember when we were all so giddy when Richards and Carter joined the team; time f***ing flies.

Goodluck to him.

 

[kilowatt]

Who was the last important Kings player that retired with LA?

 

[Sol]

I have no doubt that Carter will play much better on the Pens than the Kings. No player, especially an established vet with self respect is going to wake up every day and be excited to play on a shit team.

Carter has shown flashes this season of speed and competency. It's safe to speculate he wasn't trying this season and his role didn't fit the Kings.

It's better for the Kings with him gone, and it's better for him to leave.

 

[johnjm22]

Jeff you're one of the best and most important Kings ever! You're also IMO one of the most underrated players of your generation. All the best to you!

 

[Zz80]

Considering all the facts ( age, injuries,...) I thought his contract was untradeble. Good job Blake

 

[kingsholygrail]

Who was the last important Kings player that retired with LA?

Luc Robitaille?

 

[johnjm22]

Anybody know what the conditions of the pics are?

 

[DryIslandBartender]

The Dry Island is no more....

Yeah, bittersweet. It is best for both sides to move on but man those were the days. I really liked the Flyers mojo back in those Carter/Richards days and they never really regained it since trading both. That kind of mojo (whatever you want to call it) is what propelled the Kings past the Blackhawks, the Sharks, Canucks etc.

The kings at the time were rebuilding and not really fun to watch. In those days on here it was all about what was going on in Manchester, Juniors (hello Lewiston Maineiacs to watch Bernier etc). DL came from the Flyers and he would model the Kings after them so it made sense to watch them.

At that particular time, I never thought in a million years Kings would get Carter/Richards given the Flyers have been to the finals and were almost always contenders. The Kings eked into the playoffs and got killed in the first round before DL started adding them (77 and 10) and others to build an identity that would win two cups.

Carter was a guaranteed 30-40 goal scorer (almost had 50 one year I think), and Richards was the Derek Jeter of the NHL before being traded.

I still to this day, don’t get it. The whole dry island thing was ridiculous, funny but ridiculous. Fortunately that storyline benefited the Kings greatly at the end of the day.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Absolute best of luck to Carter. Getting rid of Carter is the best thing for him and the Kings, yet it's still sad

 

[BigBrown]

When I think about Carter I picture him on the right side of the ice, taking a couple of long but quick strides to get that first burst of speed around a d-man then just snapping the puck top shelf. He scored so many of those as a King. He was a beast.

 

[kovacro]

Anybody know what the conditions of the pics are?

Usually CapFriendly is pretty quick to note conditions on picks, however there is nothing as of yet. Haven't heard anything from the media outlets either.

All we know is retention is 50%.

 

[KingTech]

Anybody know what the conditions of the pics are?

I have read that if the pens make it to the final and jeff plays 50% of the games the 3rd in 22 becomes a 2nd No word on the 4th

 

[Matt13]

What a ride for Jeff. Nice Camaro, too.