Where Oh Where is Anson Carter?

 

Justin Dahan (HV)

 

Where is Anson Carter? Have you seen him? I haven’t. He has been spotted on the bench and in the press box. Rarely is he seen on the ice. Last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs he was scratched. The previous game against San Jose he only logged 5 minutes and 56 seconds in 6 shifts. He recorded 0 shots and didn’t play particularly well.

Anson Carter is known for being one of the most traveled players in the NHL, Carter has played for 9 different NHL teams. On February 23rd he was traded from Columbus to the Carolina Hurricanes exchange for a 2008 5th round draft choice. Before being traded he was having a disappointing season. He only had 10 goals and 17 assists in Columbus after coming off a 33 goal campaign the last year in Vancouver .

Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford must have thought that Carter needed a change of scenery and that he could provide the extra scoring touch to help solidify the defending Stanley Cup Champions chance of making the playoffs. As well he must have figured that acquiring Carter well before the NHL trade deadline would give Carter the chance to find chemistry with his teammates.

Both of those reasoning’s were proven wrong. After the trade Carter has as many points as a Hurricane as that 5th round draft choice, the one that hasn’t been selected yet. Of course that is zero. Despite being healthy Carter has only played 8 games with the Hurricanes this year, none of them well.

At this point the Hurricanes are in a dog fight for a playoff spot and they need Carter to step up his play, that is if he even gets another shot to play. The way he is playing now its hard to believe this is the same guy that the Vancouver Canuck fans were disappointed to see go, the same guy who won Canada the gold medal at the World Championships in 2003.

Carter has always been one of the most inconsistent players in the NHL, which is why he’s also one of the most traveled. Carter has had 5 seasons with 20 or more goals, only two of them have come in consecutive years. There is a chance that Carter could resurface as an offensive threat in the NHL but it most likely won’t be for the Hurricanes.

 

 

Photo: Anson Carter back in 2003 as a NY Ranger. © Andris Jansons (HV)