I was comparing the cost of 2 X 2nd round picks, where one player is 26 years old Toews and his whole career ahead, and the other 12 years older at age 38 in the twilight of his career in Giordano, I was comparing Leafs GM to Cup winning Joe Sakic in cost of acquisition.
How can you lose a deal when one of the draft picks in 2022 hasn't even been made yet? Seems a bit early to call.
Devon Toews ( a 2014 fourth-rounder) 26-year-old defenseman, who was a restricted free agent at the time had filed for salary arbitration on Oct. 10, and scored 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) in 68 games in the previous season. NYI's and Toews couldn't come to terms on a new deal so he was dealt for 2 X second round picks at that time as opposed to NYI accepting a judges ruling, on a likely 1 year deal making him a UFA the following year.
Toews was coming off a 2 year deal for $1.4 mil ($700k AAV) at that time. Sakic signed him Oct 27th to a 4 year deal for $16.4 mil ($4.1 mil AVV) prior the arbitration hearing and ruling.
NYI were tight against the cap and NYI's according to the reports thought 1st round Noah Dobson could replace Toews on the roster for much less. So lots of things involved here, including NYI's potential waking away from a ruling they didn't like.
Calling Tyson Barrie a "dman" is being generous to the position, but much like Toews was looking for a large raise rumoured to be $7-8 mil range, so Sakic dealt him as a pending UFA, with RFA Kerfoot to Toronto for Kadri + Leafs third round pick (#74-Jean-Luc Foudyin 2020 and replaced him with Toews for less than Barrie was making at the time $5.5 mil. The gap between Naz and Kerfoot as players for only $1 mil less cap is quite significant. Leafs couldn't have thought much of Barrie as they let him walk and signed TJ Brodie instead.