FWIW
The Horvat pick (2023 - 17th) was used to select Axel Sandin-Pellika
The Romanov pick (2022 - 13th) was used to select Frank Nazar
The Palmieri pick (2021 - 29th) was used to select Chase Stillman
The Pageau pick (2020 - 28th) was used to select Ridly Greig
Not to say that's who NYI would have necessarily selected (had they kept the picks), but it gives a bit more context to what they realistically could have instead of what they do.
Yeah and for reference the guys in the OP Tedenby, Josefson, and Matteau were 24, 20, and 29 overall picks. I don't see how what they're doing is anything similar to putting their hopes on low 1sts to be better than guys like Pageau or Horvat. Would make more sense if they weren't re-signing those guys.
When the Habs were consistently making the playoffs, they kept their 1sts a lot and drafted Scherbak, Beaulieu, Poehling, McCarron, Juulsen with their 20s picks. Would've been much better suited trading them for good players like the Islanders.
Drafting a Pastrnak or Kuznetsov with a late 1st happens like, once or twice a decade and you probably won't be the team that lucks out. It's just gambling