Yup. There are basically 3 unicorn type players: a legit top 2 C, a top pair RHD and a bona fide starting goalie.
They are rare, and practically everyone is looking for them. Then you consider the added difficulties of a high tax, bad weather, small market team like Winnipeg and you can see that these players are incredibly hard to attain.
This TDL was especially difficult as player availability was even less than usual.
1C is even more of a unicorn than 2C but both are hard to get.
This is now our 6th season since we lost Bryan Little though. Kadri is in his 3rd year with Flames so Avs have been looking for 3 years. But we did acquire our top 6 C in PLD. That didn't work so we are back in the hunt. The point is that it hasn't been 6 unbroken years.
IMO, we should have drafted for a C and we should have drafted better. I know, I know, 20/20 hindsight. But if we had focused on C and/or RD Colby Barlow could have been Calum Ritchie. Or a little less ambitious, he could have been Oliver Bonk or Oliver Moore.
That said I'm still more optimistic for Barlow than most here - but he is neither centre nor Dman.
Rutger could have been a better prospect but turning into Yager gets that job done.
Chaz Lucius could have been C Fedor Svechkov who is already playing in the NHL. IDK if he is playing at C or not. He
could have been Wyatt Johnston but that would be asking for too much good luck, damnit.

I had wanted Corson Ceulemans with that pick and he is not doing much better than Chaz.
Cole Perfetti really should have been Anton Lundell. Did they ever really believe Cole would be a C in the NHL?
All water under the bridge. Our prospect pool includes a projected 2C in Yager, a projected top 4 RHD in Salomonsson and a possible top 4 LHD in Freij. We also have a possible starting goalie, probable backup goalie in DD. Still pretty good but those holes being filled a couple of years earlier would have been nice.