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Sports

Flyers trade Carter to Jackets for Voracek, picks

By National Hockey League
Published | Updated

The Columbus Blue Jackets made a splash leading up to Friday night's first round of the 2011 Entry Draft, acquiring star forward Jeff Carter from the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday in exchange for forward Jakub Voracek as well as first-round pick and third-round 2011 picks.

This also comes the same afternoon the Flyers dealt captain Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings for prospect Brayden Schenn and forward Wayne Simmonds.

The 26-year-old Carter, whom the Flyers selected with the 11th pick in the first round in 2003, had 36 goals, 66 points and a career-high plus-27 rating this past season. His top offensive season was in 2008-09 when he tallied 46 goals with 84 points. Carter has 181 goals and 343 points in 461 games over six seasons with Philadelphia.

Voracek is also a former first-round pick, having been drafted seventh by the Blue Jackets in 2007. His sophomore season was his most productive, as he finished with 16 goals and 50 points. He followed up with 14 goals and 46 points last season. Voracek is durable, having missed just five games in three NHL seasons, compiling totals of 39 goals and 134 points in 241 games.

The big value in the trade for the Flyers, however, would be the draft picks they acquire and the salary they shed in dealing Carter.

Philadelphia was looking at not having a selection until the third round of the draft and had only five picks total. Columbus was slated to pick eighth in the first round and 68th in the third round. The Flyers weren't scheduled to pick until 84th.

Carter, meanwhile, has 11 years and $58 million remaining on a 14-year contract, an average cap hit of $5.27 million according to capgeek.com. Voracek just completed his entry-level contract and made $1.27 million this past season. He is set to be a restricted free agent.

The financial part of the equation was important in the Flyers signing goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a  contract reportedly worth $51 million over nine years. The Flyers acquired his rights from the Coyotes earlier this month for forward Matt Clackson, a third-round pick in 2012 and future considerations. If the team hadn't reached a deal with Bryzgalov, he would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.