No.It's a legit return. That pick is a prospect that can be harvested for future use in trade. Necas was the centerpiece in offers for Pettersson and logically, Tkachuk. Another argument against cashing him in for someone like Hronek.
Sign a free agent to offset his lost production in the short-term. Cap space is a part of a broader trade equation.
It's essentially the same pick we drafted Necas at, which means we have extracted zero value out of his development. The likelihood of the pick being as good as Necas is low and our return on all that is a spec who Sabres fans offer up almost as much as Jokiharju because he's tiny and not developing as they had hoped.
If the Sabres want Necas, I want Peterka coming back in the return, especially if we're adding on top of Necas.