According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie a.k.a. “The Hockey Insider,” the L.A. Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets are inching closer to striking a deal that would send Jeff Carter to the Kings.

Surprisingly, Jonathan Bernier’s name has not been mentioned, possibly due to yesterday’s trade between Columbus and Phoenix, where the Jackets acquired goaltender Curtis McElhinney. I wouldn’t necessarily consider McElhinney to be the number 1 goaltender that the Jackets will need to be successful, but if the Kings can hold on to Bernier, that certainly doesn’t hurt. If this trade goes through, Jack Johnson’s streaky offensive abilities may be missed, but the Kings have a more than qualified replacement for him in Slava Voynov.

I will update if any more information surfaces.