Joe Pavelski played his 1,200th NHL game Dec. 17 when the Dallas Stars lost 5-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Jeff Carter is scheduled to hit that same milestone on Thursday when the Pittsburgh Penguins host Carolina.
Each forward has had an incredible NHL career. Pavelski has 995 points (432 goals, 523 assists) in 17 NHL seasons, the first 13 with the San Jose Sharks before joining the Dallas Stars before the 2019-20 season. He’s been to the Stanley Cup Final twice, with the Sharks in 2016 and Stars in 2020, but has never won the Cup.
Carter is in his 18th NHL season, and has 821 points (422 goals, 399 assists) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Kings (2012, 2014).
But which one has been more impactful during his NHL career?
That’s the question before NHL.com writers Dan Rosen and Tracey Myers in this installment of State Your Case.
Rosen: I’ll start with the obvious, which, sorry Tracey, might be enough to end the argument before it really begins. Pavelski has accomplished more than anyone thought he was ever going to when he came into the NHL. He was selected by the Sharks in the seventh round (No. 205) of the highly touted and often celebrated 2003 NHL Draft. The Philadelphia Flyers selected Carter with the No. 11 picks in that draft. Math isn’t my strong suit, but I know that means Pavelski was taken 194 spots after Carter, who was supposed to be an impact player. Pavelski wasn’t even supposed to make it, but he became arguably the most important and impactful player on the Sharks from the moment he scored a goal in his NHL debut, a 6-3 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 22, 2006. He scored four goals in his first five NHL games. He quickly became a leader, then a captain, and now with the Dallas Stars he’s been the steady and productive veteran who has helped bring along young stars like Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. With due respect to Carter, he hasn’t been put in the same leadership and role model positions as Pavelski. Moreover, Pavelski’s unique ability to get to the front of the net and tip pucks for goals has made him someone younger players have studied for years. They study his skill in that area, his hand-eye coordination, and try to mimic what he does in that spot on the ice. That has only added to his impact.
Video: DAL@CAR: Pavelski redirects home PPG in 1,200th game
Myers: Oh, I definitely won’t argue your point that Pavelski accomplished a ton, especially considering where he was selected. I won’t argue your math skills, either. Kidding! But I believe Carter is still an impact player. He led Flyers rookies in 2005-06 with 42 points. He didn’t have to be the leading scorer for a team with Simone Gagne and Peter Forsberg on it. But in lieu of leadership letters, Carter has two Stanley Cup championships, won in 2012 and 2014, with the Los Angeles Kings. That’s where his biggest impact, as far as I’m concerned, was felt. In the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Carter scored four of his eight postseason goals in the six-game Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils. In the 2014 playoffs, Carter had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists), as many as Justin Williams, his teammate who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP. No, Carter is no longer a top-line player, but he’s still playing a big part on Pittsburgh’s checking line. Oh, and he leads the Penguins in the face-off circle at 58.5 percent (sorry, Rickard Rakellwho’s at 60 percent but only has 10 face-offs this season).
Video: PIT@BUF: Carter puts it in the net for OT win
Rosen: Ah yes, I knew the Stanley Cup argument was coming. No offense, Tracey, but it doesn’t hold much water anymore. Winning the Cup is a team accomplishment. When people talk about the Kings’ championships in 2012 and 2014, Carter is not at the forefront of the conversation. He’s part of it. We just had a Hall of Fame class that featured four players who never won the Stanley Cup (Roberto Luongo, Daniel Alfredsson, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin). When you talk about them you talk about leadership, class, skill, impact. When people talk about Pavelski, they talk about overcoming odds, leadership, a unique skillset. All of that is impact. OK, so Pavelski hasn’t won the Cup, but that’s not a knock on him. He has played 168 playoff games and has 125 points (64 goals, 61 assists). He’s fifth among active players in playoff games played, fourth in goals and seventh in points. His teams have reached the playoffs in 14 of his 16 full seasons. The Stars are on pace to get there this season. He has played in the Stanley Cup Final twice, getting to Game 6 each time. Carter should forever celebrate his two Stanley Cup championships, but they do not make him a more impactful player than Pavelski through the course of their careers.
Myers: Well, I’m guessing those who have won the Cup would say it still holds a lot of water (and cereal, and beer and whatever else individual winners put into it on their Cup days). But I digress. I know I’m on the ropes here, but I’m still impressed with the body of work Carter has put together as he approaches his 1,200th game, especially his battles with injuries. The biggest was probably a lacerated ankle tendon (insert wince face here), which kept Carter out from October to February in 2017-18. To come back from something like that at all would be impressive, in my opinion. Carter finished that season with 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in his final 21 games. And he’s still ticking, still winning key face-offs, still has a big slap shot, still plays on both special teams and still makes an impact.
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