I think targeting 27-29 year old UFAs for one year overpays is not so likely to be successful. That arrangements shifts all the risk on to the player. What happens if they get injured, have a down year, or simply do not mesh with the coach’s system?
Usually players accept one year deals when they have no other options with term because there are some concerns with their game, they don’t have a track record of success at the NHL level, or are coming off injury. Players sign one year deals when they have no other multi-year offers. These are not players that are likely to be difference makers or desirable enough to garner interest at the trade deadline, let alone offers involving 1st and 2nd round picks.
As an illustrative example, Barabanov and Lebanc are two players within your age range that are candidates for single-year “prove it” contracts. I didn’t see any reporting at the recent deadline of teams lining up to offer high draft picks for their services. Do we really foresee teams offering to overpay either so they can attempt to rebuild their value and flip them at the deadline? If they end up signing one year contracts, it will likely be because that is all that is offered to them.
I think most prime age UFAs are looking for, and will find teams that will oblige them with, 5/6/7 year contracts on a winning team. They get to execute agency on where they go and maybe don’t get top dollar (frankly, they still probably do) but they get some amount of certainty of where they will be for the next half decade of their career and a handsome paycheck. Why would they forgo that for roughly 30% of the money guaranteed with the explicit understanding that they’ll very likely be trade to a destination not of their choosing not even a year later?
Your strategy assumes a team can reap all the value out of the relationship and assume none of the risk, and that there is an “army” of players willing to forgo their own agency and assume all that risk for some greater amount of short term money. Seems like a recipe for a lot of unanswered voicemails on July 1st.
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Sturm was one if these few signings I liked and he can definitely fill the leadership/mentor roll he’s a true pro. I like Kostin as well big guy plays a heavy game sharks lack that type of player in the prospect pool. 
