Grading the trade: thoughts on Jeff Carter joining the Penguins

The late night news has reached daybreak, with the Penguins picking up forward Jeff Carter from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for two draft picks. It’s a third round pick in 2022 and a fourth round pick in 2023, with an added condition that if the Pens make the Stanley Cup Final and Carter plays in 50%+ of the playoff games, that third round pick graduates up to a second rounder.

How do we feel about this move? A bit mixed, and as always, it depends on factors outside of public knowledge right now.

The actual trade cost isn’t that much, nor too costly for Pittsburgh. A couple of mid-round picks are low percentage bets and a decent value, especially considering players like Nick Foligno…