Jeff Carter leads LA Kings into hometown all-star game
LOS ANGELES – Jeff Carter has always been a major part of the Los Angeles Kings core.
Ever since he was traded to LA in 2012, Carter hasn’t received the same headlines or hype as Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty or Jonathan Quick, but he has been every bit as important to the team’s success as the three other superstars in the Kings’ lineup.
“We have so many good players that don’t get talked about. Not only does Jeff not get talked about enough but there’s other guys too. When you have a guy like Kopitar kind of leading your offense it’s kind of tough to get your name mentioned instead of his because he’s such a good player and so special,” Doughty said. “But Jeff is obviously one of those special players too.”
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Carter’s strong play this season as arguably the most valuable LA King has been rewarded with his second all-star appearance of his career. Before 2016-17, it seemed unlikely that Carter would represent the Kings at the game in part because Kopitar, a home grown King, had been so dominant for so many years and the fact that roster space is limited. Also, Kopitar was part of the NHL’s all-star commercial campaign leading up to the game.
But as Kopitar has faltered with five goals and 22 assists, Carter has stepped up with 24 goals and 43 points to lead Los Angeles.
“Jeff has been amazing,” Doughty said. “He is obviously putting a lot of pucks in the net and putting up good points for us and he has been obviously a good leader in good categories too but he has been playing good two-way hockey and is always responsible in his defensive zone, so he is playing good two-way hockey and that’s what really stands out for me. Not just his goals and stuff like that, but good two-way hockey.”
Part of Carter’s strength has to do with his consistency. Including this season, he has averaged in between 0.69 and 1.02 points per-game eight times in his career. His 0.88 points per-game in 2016-17 is just below his 1.02 career best. He hasn’t scored fewer than 24 goals since 2007-08. For his career, Carter has 331 goals and 627 points in 844 games.
“He doesn’t fly under the radar with our team,” Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler said. “We know how good he is and he’s tough to cover.”
At 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, Carter cuts the image of a big power forward, but he often flashes high-end speed associated with smaller more skilled players. And when he gets a step on a defender, he can quickly fire off his powerful wrist shot.
“I think the one thing that he doesn’t get enough credit for is his first couple of steps and being able to get to full speed in a short amount of time. He scored a goal in Anaheim early this season where I thought I had him. Before I knew it he was two steps behind me and putting it into the empty net so his breakaway speed is something I can definitely appreciate,” Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said. “It’s definitely one of the things that comes up when you’re scouting a team. If you think you’re close enough to him defensively, most of the time you’re not because his release and the accuracy with which he does it and the velocity is one of the best in the league for sure.”
When the Kings traded for Carter in 2012, it was unclear how the deal would work out for Los Angeles. Carter had struggled to fit with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and there were some rumors about some of his behavior off the ice from a prior stint with the Philadelphia Flyers.
With Los Angeles he has turned into an alternate captain and one of the most important voices in the dressing room.
“He should get more accolades than he has,” Doughty said. “He has been a big part of our success since he got traded to us and he doesn’t get talked about enough.”
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Carter was asked point blank if he believed this was the best season of his career. It was tough for him to answer just because he put up 46 goals in 2008-09 with Philadelphia and had another season of 36 goals in 2010-11. But his game is now more than just offense and he has a better grasp on two-way hockey than earlier in his career.
“My best season? I think I had one big season in Philly but I think my all around game and being part of the leadership group here now and all that kind of deal, I would probably say yeah,” Carter said. “In Philly I was still young and it was kind of the run and gun, score some goals, but I mean all around, leadership, 200-foot game, stuff like that, yeah probably.”
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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