THE NHL : Jimmy Carson Gets Another Fresh Start--in Vancouver

Jimmy Carson has heard arguments why he could and could not make it in the NHL since before he was drafted in June 1986.

“It’s funny, but my career has been a series of ‘He can do this’ and ‘He can’t do that,’ ” Carson says. “I remember being in the hotel room next to the Kings in Montreal in 1986 and listening to them argue about me through the walls. Most of it was good back then.”

Carson went second after Joe Murphy in that draft and scored 37 and 55 goals in his first two seasons with the Kings. His career was on such a high that the Oilers insisted he be part of the Wayne Gretzky trade in August 1988. Then, after getting 49 goals in his only full season in Edmonton, he walked out on the Oilers, demanding a trade to a U.S. team. The Southfield, Mich., native, got his wish, going to Detroit for Murphy, Adam Graves, Petr Klima and Jeff Sharples. Last January 29, he was traded back to the Kings for All-Star defenseman Paul Coffey.

Not many can boast of being traded for future Hall of Fame players such as Gretzky and Coffey. But Carson is a talented player.

Now, he’s on the move again, having been traded to Vancouver for left wing Dixon Ward and a draft choice to be determined by how Carson plays for the Canucks. The Kings also agreed to pick up part of Carson’s contract.

Carson, 25, has lived up to the arguments heard through the thin walls of that Montreal hotel in 1986 by averaging 37 goals in his first seven seasons. But he had only four goals in 25 games this season, and he was benched for six Stanley Cup playoff games last spring and for 11 regular-season games this season, including five in a row since December 23.

He was given a three-year, $3.3-million contract before this season and promised more ice time. But he was caught in the middle of a dispute between Kings General Manager Nick Beverley and Coach Barry Melrose. That’s the major reason he was traded for the fourth time in his career.

He rejoins Canucks G.M.-Coach Pat Quinn, Carson’s first NHL coach.

“It’s obvious he seemed to be at the end of his rope with Barry Melrose,” Quinn says. “The trade is a risk, let’s face it. We don’t know what has happened between Jimmy and his coach. Maybe there is something we don’t know about, but the up side for us is good.”

We reported Carson-for-Ward and Carson-for-Dana Murzyn rumors more than a month ago, but Quinn finally was forced to make a move. It became apparent he could not trade holdout center Petr Nedved before Nedved’s self-imposed Monday deadline -- Nedved, playing for Team Canada, will not be available for a trade until after the Olympics -- and after Cliff Ronning left the lineup because of a shoulder separation.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Carson, but if Quinn puts Carson next to Pavel Bure and they find magic, Carson probably won’t even mind playing in Canada again because he would be able to say, “I told you so,” to the Kings.

“I just wish this was handled differently in the summertime, before I signed the contract,” Carson says. “We were given strong assurances that the coach wanted me and would play me.

“When we were struggling early, I thought I could help. But getting two or three shifts a game isn’t exactly getting a chance to play. The whole situation was a little unusual, and I’m happy I’ll be getting a chance to play in Vancouver.”

Ward, 25, is 6 feet, 200 pounds. He gives Melrose the size and feistiness he likes so much. Ward had 22 goals and 30 assists as a rookie last season but had six goals in 33 games this season.

“Jimmy has offensive talent,” Melrose says. “But I have Gretzky and Jari Kurri. In the scheme of things, there wasn’t room for another offensive player. It was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.”

If walls could talk, we probably would have heard a loud sigh of relief from both teams. But we believe Vancouver got the better of this deal because Carson is again going to feel appreciated playing under Quinn. And a Carson-Bure combination and all the goals that should produce are enough to wake up the Canucks’ dormant offense and allow them to challenge the Flames for their third consecutive division title.

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Those Gary Bettman bashers in Canada who look at the commissioner as an American lawyer who is not worried about Canada and the tradition of the game can thank Bettman for smoothing over the differences between Oilers Owner Peter Pocklington and the Northlands Coliseum Authority. He pushed the two sides closer to a resolution that will keep the Oilers in Edmonton.

“The fire is no longer spreading,” says Bettman, who had a meeting with mayors in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Quebec City last week and warned them it was up to them to “protect their assets.”

Edmonton Mayor Jan Reimer, who will serve as mediator between the two groups, hints that some public money could be made available to help settle the dispute.

Look for a new agreement to be reached by the end of January.

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The Senators’ Bob Kudelski took the pregame warmup and was in the dressing room preparing for a game at Toronto last week when he was taken aside and told he had been traded to Florida for forwards Evgeny Davydov and Scott Levins and two draft choices. The deal was completed just before the national anthems.

It didn’t help the Senators, losing a 26-goal scorer.

“Sure, it had an effect,” center Mark Lamb says of the club’s 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs. “All of a sudden, we are down a player, missing our leading scorer.”

Kudelski told last week that he expected to be traded to a contending team before the March 19 trade deadline. Now that they have Kudelski, the Panthers are a playoff contender.

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Icy bits: Islanders Coach Al Arbour would never send a player off his bench to fight, but he is responsible for having a player such as Mick Vukota on his bench, just like any other coach. That’s why Arbour’s five-game suspension and $1,000 fine for not keeping Vukota from leaving the bench and joining a fight are justified. Rule 66 also says Vukota gets a 10-game suspension and the Islanders are fined $10,000 for the incident. ... If you wonder why the Blackhawks aren’t among the league’s Top 5 teams, it’s because they don’t get scoring from their second-line players. They are one of six teams that have three or fewer players in double figures in goal scoring. Last week, they tried banger Jocelyn Lemieux on the second line with Brent Sutter and Dirk Graham. But Lemieux, who had 22 goals the last three seasons, isn’t the answer. ... Flyers Coach Terry Simpson told defenseman Dimitri Yushkevich to forget about the trade rumors, he’s not going anywhere.

Don’t be surprised if the 52-save performance by Calgary goalie Andrei Trefilov in his ‘93-94 debut last week puts veteran Flames goalie Mike Vernon on the trade market. ... Former Flyers and Canucks coach Bob McCammon is looking for an NHL coaching job. He could be headed for Ottawa -- very soon. ... What’s wrong with this story? Ray Sheppard and Vyacheslav Kozlov get three goals apiece, but Bob Probert gets credit for sparking Detroit’s 10-3 victory at San Jose last week by starting a fight 14 seconds into the game. You can’t rationalize that Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman need someone to “ride shotgun for them just like Wayne Gretzky had Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley with him,” as Red Wings G.M. Bryan Murray says. The opposing defensemen and goalies will tell you that intimidation is Fedorov and Yzerman on a breakaway, not Probert through a punch or two.