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Wednesday Wake-Up Call: Jeff Carter

Jeff Carter

Columbus Blue Jackets’ Jeff Carter watches teammates warm up during an NHL preseason hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Wednesday, Sept 21, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

AP

The Wednesday Wake-Up Call is where we pick a struggling player and kindly ask him to SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY. COME ON. YOU’RE BETTER THAN THIS!

Jeff Carter, C, Columbus Blue Jackets

Key stats: 3G, 5A, minus-2 in 15 GP

Brough and I saw Carter play in Vancouver last Tuesday. His performance wasn’t so much bad as it was nonchalant -- if I had to describe Carter’s interest level in a word, it would be “whatever.” (If I had to choose a sound, it’d be “meh.”)

Yes, he’s coming back from a broken foot and yes, the Blue Jackets are awful. But there are other guys producing, guys like Vinny Prospal (7G-14A-21PTS) and Fedor Tyutin (on pace for a career-high 38 points). The Wiz has been racking up the points as well. Carter, meanwhile, looks like he’s going through the motions, which will be hard to continue given his contract runs through 2093.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of Carter’s game is his poor PP production. A guy that scored 24 times with the man advantage from 2008-10 has just two powerplay points (this despite averaging 4:10 of PP time a game, playing alongside Columbus’ leading scorers in Prospal and Rick Nash.) Yeah, Columbus’ power play stinks -- clicking at 12.5 percent, 26th overall -- but the BJs get a ton of chances and Carter’s out there for most of them.

So wake up, Jeff Carter. Your team needs you.