With the Philadelphia Flyers acquisition of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov late Tuesday, it's clear that signing a goalie is an offseason priority for Paul Holmgren and his team. Since the Flyers are so close to the salary cap, and since it's known that Bryzgalov wants a team to break the bank for his services, there will be some tough decisions made in Philadelphia.
2011 NHL Draft Rumors: Jeff Carter Trade Possible Between Flyers, Blue Jackets?
Namely, it looks as though star two-way center Jeff Carter could be traded, and it looks as though the Columbus Blue Jackets are interested. The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the Flyers and Blue Jackets have been involved in talks surrounding Carter, the Columbus' No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft and young Blue Jackets forward Jakub Voracek.
The two teams do have a history of making deals with one another, so it’s not as though this is completely out of the blue. Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson has also gone on record saying that he’s “open for anything” when it comes to the No. 8 pick in the draft. Simply put, Columbus wants impact players right now. They need on-ice success sooner rather than later.
Salary wise, it would work for both teams, and surely Howson would love the addition of Carter on his team. He can do just about everything -- solid defense and the potential to be a 50 goal scorer. He’s a consistent 35 goal scorer as it is now. It’s just a question of whether or not Philadelphia wants to give up one of their best young stars in order to sign a stud goaltender.
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