Are the Calgary Flames Buyers Or Sellers When It Comes To The Trade Market? Sam Carrick is finally getting the recognition he deserves for all of his hard work. The New York Rangers signed Carrick to a three-year, $3 million contract over the summer. Why would the Rangers sign a player who only played 16 games the year prior? Fans in New York quickly learned why. Carrick has been a staple of the Rangers’ fourth line all year long as his gritty style of play on top of his relentless energy has been impactful to say the least. Maybe some people didn’t take notice because Carrick wasn’t able to find the back of the net all that much, but he’s scored two big goals over the past three games including an overtime game-winner, and all eyes are on Carrick now. “It feels good to help the team in any way I can,” Carrick said. “For me early on in the season, the goals weren’t coming. I was more focused on helping the team in other ways whether it’s faceoffs, penalty kill or being reliable defensively. Obviously, it helps to help offensively as well. I’m always looking to do that no matter the game.” Carrick scored a nifty breakaway goal on Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche, which caught the attention of Peter Laviolette. Did Laviolette know about Carrick’s breakaway skills? “I do now,” Laviolette said with a smile on his face. The 32-year-old center has been playing on a line with Adam Edström practically the entire season and the two have thrived alongside each other. “It’s been great,” Carrick said about playing with Edström. “It has been good for me. What works really well for us is him having the speed that he has and me being a center, trying to find him flying off of the wing. He’s had lots of breakaways this year whether it’s a high flip from an area or hitting him with speed going wide. That seems to be working well, it will be something I continue to do.” Carrick’s game is sneaky yet extremely effective. He plays valuable minutes on the penalty kill and you can always rely on him to display a sense of toughness. “Providing that little bit of grit and toughness and the kind of things that you need throughout a long regular season and especially in the playoffs when the games get a lot more physical,” Carrick said on what he provides. “You need that throughout your lineup.” He is the kind of player that every team loves to have, but hates to play against. If Carrick keeps this up, he’ll be New York’s fourth-line anchor for years to come.
