COLUMBUS, OHIO (AP) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have traded center Jeff Carter to the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Jack Johnson and a first-round draft pick in either 2012 or 2013.
Carter is expected to supply some offense for the goal-starved Kings, who started Thursday night holding the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Acquired in a blockbuster deal with Philadelphia last summer, Carter was expected to center the top line for Columbus with captain Rick Nash. But Carter missed 20 games due to a broken foot and a separated shoulder. He had three goals in the Blue Jackets’ last game and has 15 goals and 10 assists in 39 games.
Johnson, a 25-year-old former University of Michigan star, has eight goals and 16 assists this season _ his fifth in the NHL, all with the Kings.
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