Jeff Carter has been one of Penguins' most versatile, effective forwards since his arrival

May 5—There were two obvious rationales the Pittsburgh Penguins employed to add Jeff Carter at the trade deadline last month.

Each appears to be playing out at or above any organizational expectations.

"He's really fit in nicely," coach Mike Sullivan said, " ... both in the locker room and on the ice."

In the locker room is more difficult to gauge, particularly during a season in which media are prohibited from those rooms.

But at 8-3-1 since his April 12 acquisition from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a pair of draft choices, the Penguins and the 36-year-old Carter appear to be a harmonious match.

"He's a guy that's been around the league for a really long time, so he just knows what to expect, knows how to carry himself," wing Jake Guentzel said Tuesday. "He fit right in in this locker room."

He has fit in well as a middle-six center alongside Jared McCann, too. The eye test says as much, as do the most traditional and advanced statistics, too.

In the 12 games Carter has played with the Penguins, he is third on the team in goals (four), tied for seventh in points (six), fourth in shots on goal (29), tied for second in takeaways (eight) and second in faceoffs won (96).

A center by trade who was playing wing during is latter years with the Kings, Carter has won a better rate of his faceoffs (50.79%) than any of the Penguins' other projected centers for the playoffs in that time (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Teddy Blueger).

Among Penguins forwards, Carter is fourth in total ice time since he joined the team, fifth in power-play time and fourth in penalty-killing time.

"He's a good two-way player," Sullivan said. "Good on the faceoffs. We like his size in the middle. When he's defending in our end, he's big and strong and has a long reach. He can lean on people. He's good defensively.

"As far as his performance on the ice, that speaks for itself."

Advanced metrics prove it even moreso.

At five-on-five play, Carter ranks among the top three on the team among those who have played in each of the past 12 games, according to naturalstattrick.com. No Penguin has more shots on goal.

The Penguins are outscoring opponents 10-5 with Carter on the ice. They are generating 55.56% of the scoring chances, 52.38% of "high-danger" scoring chances.

The only forward who has played in all 12 games since the Penguins acquired Carter who has better puck-possession metrics than him is linemate Jared McCann. The Penguins are generating 53.6% of the shot attempts relative to their opponents with Carter on the ice at five-on-five.

But as valuable as Carter has been in terms of production, the Penguins seem equally pleased with his intangibles.

"He's been a great addition in so many ways," Sullivan said. "He's a veteran guy that's an accomplished player and has built a real solid, impressive legacy for himself to this point, and I think he's hungry to build on that. Our players, coaches and management have so much respect for what he's accomplished in the game, and that was one of the reasons he was added to the group.

"He's been a great influence in our locker room with his personality and his demeanor and leadership."

However, those traits came into question from outsiders when Carter was being traded twice in a seven-month span in 2011-12. Carter acknowledged he matured over the nine years — and two Stanley Cup titles — he spent with Los Angeles.

"As you are around throughout the years, you grow older and you're around good people, you just kind of grasp some things," he said. "I think going to L.A. was big for me and being around some really good teammates and people and starting a family and being on really good teams, it all just helps you grow as a person."

Keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.

Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .