Unless Coach Todd channels his inner Babcock, I doubt Carter gets scratched before his 1000th game.
After that, I think it’s inevitable, especially after the trade deadline.
As a whole, the vets who should be moved are producing individually, so that can let Carter slide a little. You can buy Carter out next summer, and get some cap savings, plus save some real money. That will be an ideal move, if combined with trades for all the old players who seem to be rebounding or are UFAs.
If this keeps up, we should get a full basket of futures for the following players:
Toffoli
Martinez
Clifford
Lewis
Kovalchuk
Forbort