Carpenter became the first high school player to jump directly to the NHL in his draft year. He was a 53-goal scorer at age 21, and though he never approached that total again, the forward went on to play 18 seasons in the NHL, including winning the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995.

The Washington Capitals selected Carpenter with the No. 3 pick in the 1981 NHL Draft after he excelled at St. John's Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts, and made the cover of Sports Illustrated as the "Can't Miss Kid." Carpenter made the Capitals out of training camp that fall and was an instant hit, scoring 32 goals and 67 points as an 18-year-old in 1981-82. He scored 32 goals and 69 points in 1982-83, helping the Capitals qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since entering the NHL in 1974, and had a career year in 1984-85, scoring 53 goals and 95 points to become the first U.S.-born 50-goal scorer.

However, Carpenter dropped to 27 goals and 56 points in 1986-87, and after he started slowly in 1987-88, the Capitals traded him to the New York Rangers on Jan. 1, 1987. He struggled in New York, scoring two goals in 28 games, and was on the move again before the season ended; the Rangers traded him to the Los Angeles Kings on March 10, 1987.

The Kings sent Carpenter home when they traded him to the Boston Bruins on Jan. 23, 1989. He scored 25 goals in 1989-90, helping the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup Final, and after missing most of the 1990-91 season with an injured kneecap, rebounded with 25 goals in 1991-92.

That attracted the attention of the Capitals, who signed him on June 30, 1992. By now, Carpenter was being relied on more for his defensive skills than his goal-scoring abilities; he scored 11 goals for Washington in 1992-93 before signing with the Devils on Sept. 30, 1993.

The defensive-minded Devils were a better fit for Carpenter's skills. He was a useful role player in 1993-94, when New Jersey advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the New York Rangers, and in 1994-95, when the Devils won their first Stanley Cup championship. He also scored his 300th NHL goal on March 29, 1995.

Carpenter retired after the 1998-99 season with 728 points (320 goals, 408 assists) in 1,178 NHL games. He scored 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists) in 140 playoff games. After retiring, Carpenter remained with the Devils as an assistant and was part of their Cup-winning teams in 2000 and 2003.