I could not disagree more, the team is in 1st place and if that remains the case, Kopitar will go nowhere until the summer should he remain unsigned.
I've talked about this before, if they want to take a step back this summer, they could move Carter, Muzzin, Martinez and put Quick out there to test his market and garner numerous picks in the first few rounds along with the likely top-10 picks in 2017 & 18(should they go that route).
Please explain why if Dean let's this drag out until July 1, he should trade away Carter and Muzzin. Are you assuming that Kopitar would be walking for nothing?
I agree with Richie. Dean cannot allow that to happen. People are right, the Kings have a great record against the Central Division during the regular season. If the Kings win the Pacific Division and face Chicago in the first round, does anyone here really give them any more than a 50/50 chance?
The best thing that Anze Kopitar can do for the team is take a lower AAV and keep the band together. If he isn't willing to do that, then Dean should look at moving him sooner rather than later. If Kopitar was producing at a 70-point rate, I would say yes definitely see how it plays out this season, but I am not convinced that the Kings are world beaters with Kopitar playing at the level he has over the last 110 games.
People will now come in and say that it looks like he is coming around and that he is almost a PPG player over the last 13-14 games, but they neglect the fact that he is just as likely to go cold in December/January as he is to stay semi-hot.
He has driven the net with more frequency lately, but he still is far too passive in the offensive zone on the PP and when he has a chance to drive to the net. Other people see that, just look in any GDT. It is littered with posts asking why Kopitar didn't shoot or why he walled himself off on the PP.
Bottom line: what he is providing is not worth $9M+ AAV, and the team will lose depth starting next season if Dean gives him that kind of deal.
IMO, Carter is the Kings best forward at this time. His game is steady and he doesn't appear to be in decline at all. He too plays excellent defense and is a good backchecker.
I have yet to see anyone that advocates a deal that pays him close to an AAV of $10M show how Dean will re-sign Toffoli, Pearson, etc. and not have either a defense made up of Doughty and Muzzin and AHLer's or a bottom six of AHL'ers mostly on minimum contracts. Imbalaned rosters like that do not win cups, and Chicago is getting a dose of that reality this season.
