Vanflyer Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 ....that Jeff Carter would be a better NHL player than Mike Richards?? Richards has his role (ala umberger / vlc), but Carter is a superstar for both the kings and the league. This is not a trade rehash, just a wtf transformed Carter?? I know what happened to Richards- sort of. I will still diss Carter for pussying his way out of Columbus, yet it seems the boy has grown into a man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilsFanDrew Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I always thought Carter had the more natural skill and build to be a better player. Richards had more heart and desire than Carter but at Mike's size and playing the way he did for so long it was going to take its toll. I think the trade was a big wake up call for Carter. He's married now and I think he's matured and put his life in better perspective and its made him a more complete hockey player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 All about the right fit, right attitude, right time, right place, @Vanflyer . Who knows...maybe Jeff Carter becomes a very good player if he would have stayed on Philly or Columbus, maybe not. Sometimes a player can whine his way to a better situation....sometimes that player was right all along to complain and want "better" for his career path....or maybe even in the case of the Flyers, it was too early in his career to expect the kind of play we have seen from him now. Case could be made for lots of players throughout the history of the league, where a player wants out of a certain situation/wants a trade/is a whiny or unproductive player.....then goes elsewhere and becomes a very solid player, if not a superstar one. Chris Pronger, Brendan Shanahan are two players that come to mind right away as guys who played for a team expecting the world out of them, but they wanted out (both played for Hartford during the Whalers bottom dwelling days), and they turned out pretty well I would say for other teams....Detroit, St. Louis, and Anaheim reaped those benefits. There are others too.Kyle Turris wanted out of Phoenix....some said Turris wasn't worth the hassle....I'd say he has turned out pretty well, and continues to be good for the Ottawa Senators. I kinda see that happening with Ryan O'Reilly in Colorado too....a guy who plays really well, but has had a contentious relationship with the club. Many fans have said O'Reilly should be happy he is even playing on the Avs.If he wants, he can push hard enough to go elsewhere, some will say good riddance, and I bet O'Reilly becomes an even BETTER player if he lands in the right situation, then people will say "What was Colorado thinking!?" I know Jeff Carter's situation is still a bit different from those, but my point is, no one should ever say 'never' when it comes to talented players in the NHL.You look at a guy who is a 'stiff', and chances are, he will ALWAYS be a stiff.....but a guy with talent, even if he isn't showing it, or using it to his full potential, ALWAYS has a chance to break through and be a very good player in the league....whether its with the team that originally tried developing him or someone else. And Jeff Carter always had the talent to play in the league....I think even the hardest of Philly fans would have to admit that.He may not have always shown it with the Flyers, or even shown that much heart for that matter....but it was there nonetheless...and for whatever reason, Philly nor Columbus could get the best out of him, but LA could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishjim Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 the beaches and broads are better in Malibu then they are in sea isle city....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I never understood the bum rap Carter got here. I am not surprised by this, he had all the physical tools, was 40+ goal scorer while he was here. back checked was fast, played hurt. Philly fans hate guys with talent that don't give the grimace of effort. the game is easy for him, his stride is efficient , his shot release is wicked... and he didn't hit. so he was a bum. bunch a crap. i am not surprised Carter is better than Richards... he always was.Good for him for realizing his potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStraw Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 It really isn't surprising. He was drafted higher and clearly had more natural talent. The Flyers never really found him a lasting line combination that worked but there were certainly times when his line was arguably the team's best line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 the beaches and broads are better in Malibu then they are in sea isle city....... hey now... he still lives in SIC in the summer and Williams is in Margate(?)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 ....that Jeff Carter would be a better NHL player than Mike Richards?? Richards has his role (ala umberger / vlc), but Carter is a superstar for both the kings and the league. This is not a trade rehash, just a wtf transformed Carter?? I know what happened to Richards- sort of. I will still diss Carter for pussying his way out of Columbus, yet it seems the boy has grown into a man. I always viewed Carter as the better player in terms of skill. Pretty much every skill is better than Richards honestly. Richards is the blue-collar kid with some skill that worked his ass off on the ice. I am glad Carter went on to become the player he is today. Always had the talent and he found a way to pull it together and become a great player for LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samifan Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Carter probably realized he couldnt be Richards "Wingman" on and off the ice forever so it was time to grow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Carter probably realized he couldnt be Richards "Wingman" on and off the ice forever so it was time to grow up. LOL! maybe some truth to that?!? I will say his hartnell's wife wife is a complete smoke show... well done Mr Carter, well done... life is good out west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 This is not a trade rehash, just a wtf transformed Carter?? We traded him when he was one year younger than Giroux. Would you say Giroux was a finished product last year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samifan Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 LOL! maybe some truth to that?!? I will say his hartnell's wife wife is a complete smoke show... well done Mr Carter, well done... life is good out west. Maybe I am showing my age, but I have never heard the term "smoke show". Outstanding!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 And Jeff Carter always had the talent to play in the league....I think even the hardest of Philly fans would have to admit that.He may not have always shown it with the Flyers, or even shown that much heart for that matter....but it was there nonetheless...and for whatever reason, Philly nor Columbus could get the best out of him, but LA could. Nice post and I agree whole-bittersweet-heartedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 I always viewed Carter as the better player in terms of skill. Pretty much every skill is better than Richards honestly. Richards is the blue-collar kid with some skill that worked his ass off on the ice. Its interesting because I watched Richards play in Juniors and for Team Canada. He at that time was an all around better player. Carter was, at point in time, one dimensional. Time, wear and tear and age has caught up to Richards (ala same age as Carter, but style of play is different). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 Would you say Giroux was a finished product last year? As a hart finalist, I would certainly hope so. But to compare Carter-Giroux is an apple to organges thing. My point is that he was a semi allof player with Philly (could always score, could play d, but seemed at times to care less). Now for whatever reason (maturity?) broken out of that and become a complete hockey player. He always had the skill, just never seemed to have the heart. Now he has the heart. Since you bring up G., who would you rather have: Carter or G.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Knut Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 He always had the skills. When he came into the league he was always the more highly rated player offensively. He was never EVER the defensive liability that many of us thought he was. He was a decent two way player. They said he didn't have heart and that he sucked because he missed the winning goal in game 6. I can still hate him for that too, but I alsontemind myself he was skating on 2 broken feet. The major difference now is that He's playing with more confidence. He knows where to go and believes he'll get back to where he needs to be to play responsible hockey. Dude scored 46 goals here and somehow people thought he was cramp still. Seriously, as a unit we are a little blinded sometimes. ....that Jeff Carter would be a better NHL player than Mike Richards??Richards has his role (ala umberger / vlc), but Carter is a superstar for both the kings and the league.This is not a trade rehash, just a wtf transformed Carter?? I know what happened to Richards- sort of.I will still diss Carter for pussying his way out of Columbus, yet it seems the boy has grown into a man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I get the fact Carter is significantly better than Richards. However, should this question have been asked back in the 2010 playoff run to the finals....95 out of 100 fans would have voted for Mike. I'm still sickened by the way he plays so hard for the Kings, how he has very respectable stats in the playoffs for the Kings and can't hit a gaping wide open net for the Flyers. I will never let go of that missed open net, I don't care how good he plays right now.....still bitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Now for whatever reason (maturity?) broken out of that and become a complete hockey player. He always had the skill, just never seemed to have the heart. Now he has the heart. Perhaps. I see it differently. We expected things of a 25 year old who was not yet a complete product. He hadn't reached his peak in many ways, and now he has. "Heart" is just another word for maturity. Which is a big part of a player's development. Since you bring up G., who would you rather have: Carter or G.? Personally, I prefer Giroux as a player. As a hart finalist, I would certainly hope so. Really? That's interesting. Being a finalist for the Hart has no bearing on your growth as a player. Do you think Crosby has reached his pinnacle as a player at 25 or 26 years old? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 I'm a committed hater of all things Carter, but the one clear reason for their divergent trajectories is *skating* in an era when skating is more important than everFrosted tips can skate, while Richards hobbles around the ice.Size too matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 ....that Jeff Carter would be a better NHL player than Mike Richards?? Richards has his role (ala umberger / vlc), but Carter is a superstar for both the kings and the league. This is not a trade rehash, just a wtf transformed Carter?? I know what happened to Richards- sort of. I will still diss Carter for pussying his way out of Columbus, yet it seems the boy has grown into a man. I always liked Carter..call me crazy but he just never bothered me...all the "soft" and "high and wide" crap, it was probably true but I thought the good outweighed the bad by a long shot. Now like you say he's a superstar and Richards is skating 3rd/4th line minutes. Even so I'd take Mike Richards on my team any day of the week over Carter - even today. I watched the Kings get hammered by the Wings last night and Richards still plays like a monster most shifts. If you have a war-of-a-hockey-game coming up he's my first choice over most of the "superstars" in the NHL - even today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briere48 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 i just think it's more of how they were handled on this team in terms of positon, you can say they were a distraction, partying etc but carter and richards were both centers, carter or richards werent meant to be wingers and that screwed everything up. when the coaches treat these players out of positon it causes a chemistry problem. When they were traded to the kings, they were put in the right positon and they played better because of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Even so I'd take Mike Richards on my team any day of the week over Carter - even today. I watched the Kings get hammered by the Wings last night and Richards still plays like a monster most shifts. If you have a war-of-a-hockey-game coming up he's my first choice over most of the "superstars" in the NHL - even today. As much as I like Richards, and as much as I dislike Jeff, I just could not pick Mike over Jeff right now. I agree, Mike did look very effective against the Wings. He is a half step slower though....or he is labouring much more to get to point A to point B....either way, it's not good. Jeff is ripping it up for the leagues top scoring line right now. I've seen 3 of the last 4 Kings games, Jeff is not only scoring, he is playing better defense than normal. Jeff looks faster and Mike looks a tad slower, so that plays a big factor in my decision making process. Throw in the increased scoring, it's a no brainier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 yeah I know you're right - Carter is the correct choice if you're outfitting a team today but Richards is the guy I want to see play. He's an exciting hockey player imho, like I said even today. Carter, as sharp as he is - and I like him - doesn't "wow" me very often like Stamkos does when he shoots, or Sakic used to when he made plays, or Forsberg/Jagr the way the puck was glued to his stick, etc. Richards has all that going for him (to a lesser extent than those guys of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 @canoli In general....I'd take the guy with more heart any day of the week, but Mike could get hurt tomorrow, I seriously doubt he makes it out of the season without getting dinged up for a few weeks. His body seems to be slowly deteriorating. His style of play is starting to take it's toll. Not to mention Jeff has a good shot at 75-80 pts this year and Mike will struggle to bag 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doom88 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 i just think it's more of how they were handled on this team in terms of positon, you can say they were a distraction, partying etc but carter and richards were both centers, carter or richards werent meant to be wingers and that screwed everything up. when the coaches treat these players out of positon it causes a chemistry problem. When they were traded to the kings, they were put in the right positon and they played better because of it.Agreed about Carter. He's not a winger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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