The f*** are you talking about? The statement holds true if you are a shit team with no firepower on the top line. Bjorkstrand now gives us at minimum 3 lines of pressure and offensive threat. Bjorkstrand also has another season to continuously add that depth. Our Top 9 is pretty much sorted next year if they retain Gourde on a cheap deal too. What was those first round picks going to get us? Push for solely this year and nothing beyond it. Marchand? Taking on Jones? Couldn't possibly sign Rantanen? So who the hell else would have an impact not just today but for a couple years? Did they pay a premium? You damn well right they did, but is the team better because of it not just for this year but next year? Yeah it certainly is.
Cool, so how about we compare what those first round picks could have been then?
Howard - Possibly Great Late First
Nolan Foote - All Star
Cal Foote - All Star rapist
Brett Howden - Bottom 6 NHL'er
DeAngelo - All Star Asshole
Drouin - All Star Uggo
Koekkoek - All Star Flop
Vasy - Hall of Famer
Namestnikov - Great Bottom 6 Player, sucked his second time around here
Connolly - All Star Flop
Hedman - Hall of Famer
Stammer - Hall of Famer.
Helenius - I Completely forgot about this pick
Vladimir Mihalik - Who?
Andy Rogers - Right
Thats the last 20 years of first round picks. Out of those we hit something that doesn't happen too often in the NHL and got 3 legit Hall of Famer's. That isn't normal, that is a huge fluke and outlier. After that there is nothing but flops, a couple of NHL players, a racist, and a rapist. Those firsts are worthless, as a direct comparison to what we do with first round picks is 14% of the time we hit a Hall of Famer, 19% a regular NHL'er, 29% of the time a bust, 5% Racist, 5% Rapist. 6 years we didn't have a first round pick.
If you ask me that is too low of chances with Hall of Famers and too high of odds of Racists and Rapists. Get rid of 1sts, they suck.