Flyers sign Jeff Carter: 3 years, 15 million

It hasn't been officially announced yet, but several reports have surfaced that the Flyers have signed restricted free agent Jeff Carter to a 3 year, 15 million dollar deal. While this removes the possibility of losing Carter to another team this off-season, 5 million a year for a player who has never scored 30 goals is a little steep. It also may price them out of signing any decent free agent defenseman, or even from bringing back R.J. Umberger, who continues to be the subject of trade talks. I do like that Jeff Carter is coming back next year, and he did show flashes of brilliance in the playoffs, but I worry that the Flyers might have overpaid here. Carter has had a problem with consistency in his career, something that no player making 5 million a year should have. With Mike Richards and Danny Briere in the mix, Carter will also never be anything more than a third line center. Let's hope the Flyers don't end up regretting paying him like a first liner.