Buy Low on Jeff Carter While You Can

I have to admit, I was skeptical about Jeff Carter as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. In fact, entering the ’11-’12 season, I failed to draft him in any league. He was coming to a new team, new division and a new conference not to mention he hurt his surgically repaired foot during the preseason. In short, there were question marks — too many for me to roster him.

However, right now he looks like a great guy to grab for the stretch run. After returning from a separated shoulder on February 3rd, the former 46-goal scorer has goals in consecutive games. Furthermore, he’s doing it without the help of Rick Nash.

After playing most of the season on the top line with Nash and Vinny Prospal, Carter has been relegated to the second line with Prospal and offensive dynamo Colton Gillies. And instead of faltering with lesser linemates, he’s doing what most good players do — making them better.

Moreover, the #fancystats further show Carter’s worth. His Relative Corsi Quality of Competition leads the team, meaning he faces the hardest competition and is still successful. Despite his Corsi number falling slightly below zero (meaning he spends more time in the defensive zone than offensive zone), when you compare it to the rest of the team, it becomes a modest 2.1, which ties with Nash. Lastly, his PDO –the sum of “On-Ice Shooting Percentage” and “On-Ice Save Percentage” while a player was on the ice — is below 1000 which indicates Carter has actually been unlucky this season.

In short, Carter looks like an ideal candidate to pick up for your stretch run. With interim head coach Todd Richards now employing two working scoring lines, Carter’s quality of competition should decrease making him even more dangerous in the offensive zone. Couple that with the slim possibility he gets moved to a contender and he may be one of the more valuable fantasy hockey players down the stretch.

Agree, disagree? Feel free to sound off in the comments.