Los Angeles Kings Player Profile: Jeff Carter
Jeff Carter has seen his role off the ice with the Kings change in recent years and now, his role on the ice is changing too.
February of this coming season makes five seasons in Los Angeles for Jeff Carter and there’s no player on the roster who has changed in the way Carter has in that time.
He came to the team from Columbus in a trade for Jack Johnson and a 1st round draft pick after three straight seasons of at least 33 goals. At the time, he was seen as a sniper who picked his spots on defense; he drew comparisons to Thomas Vanek and was described as a “shooter first and foremost” like Vanek.
The former first round pick always had the scoring ability – it’s the rest of his game that has flourished under the Kings and coach Darryl Sutter.
Carter has become a facilitator on the ice and someone who understands how to use the size he was blessed with.
For someone who’s never been considered a physical player, Jeff Carter changed his ways last season. He set a career high in hits (89) as well as recording his most blocked shots (39) and least giveaways (41) since joining the Kings. Although these numbers represent three different aspects of the game, they help to understand how much more effectively Carter used his 6-foot-4 frame last year.
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Offensively, Carter underwent an evolution from pure scorer to catalyst. He tied a career high in assists this past season with 38 and as he always has been, was counted on to produce in clutch situations.
One stat that stuck out to me – as dug up at hockeyanalysis.com – was that in 5-on-5 situations where the Kings were either down 1, tied, or ahead by 1, Carter notched an assist on 69.6% of the goals he was on the ice for. Even with 25 career game-winning goals, Carter is using his size and accuracy with the puck to create chances for his teammates at the tensest of moments.
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Looking forward, Jeff Carter is under contract for six more seasons and will probably be penciled in on the top 2 lines for most of that time. Not only that, but as an assistant captain, his experience will be vital for a team that expects to be contending for a Stanley Cup for the rest of the decade.
Kings’ defenseman Alec Martinez talked about the way he and Carter have matured with the Kings and said “As guys leave, it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up…We’re becoming the older guys and we need to take on those responsibilities.”
Carter will likely play with Tyler Toffoli again this year, although it is unclear if they’ll play alongside Anze Kopitar or a winger instead. Toffoli took a huge step forward last year and much of that can be attributed to the unselfish play of Jeff Carter.
In 2016-17, I can see Carter putting up something like 25 goals/40 assists if he’s next to Kopitar and Toffoli. That would be a very tough two-way lineup for any team to match up with.
At the very least, I’d expect Carter to be someone who wreaks havoc on opposing forwards and dominates the offensive zone, as he’s been doing against guys like Shane Doan, Logan Couture and Nail Yakupov ever since he arrived in Los Angeles.