25 year olds are the perfect guys to trade when you want to rebuild. It may shock sensibilities, but that's true for 22 year olds as well. If you are honest that you need to acquire elite end talent via the NHL Draft and the most likely way to do that is to pick high, you also want to be surrounding them with a lot of other picks in the same time and play a numbers game in terms of seeing which players emerge.
So you're offering a high pick for that type of player (young 2c)? Or are you suggesting they turn that player into what is likely a lesser player just to tank? Because the average outcome for a late 1st is far less than a good do-everything 2C.
You're also talking about tearing it down to the studs and probably tanking for a good half decade or more. Problem is, the GM who does that won't survive long enough to reap the rewards.
How about they keep that player, and most likely still suck and get a high pick? A young high quality 2C isn't gonna move the needle much on most terrible teams, he's going to be asked to be a sucky 1C. And he's also going to be part of getting to the cap floor. Plus he's still young enough to still be good when their picks start developing. I don't see how it's preferable to pay more money for crappier UFAs to reach the floor ... most of the time to convince a guy to go to a terrible team, UFAs want to be overpaid on AAV and term.
And hey, the Hawks are rebuilding themselves, so why doesn't the same logic apply to them in that they should not keep the 25 year old around? Are they done rebuilding? If so, then trade prospects for win now guys. Or do they have all the "elite" talents they need already and just want to fill out the roster? Then trade your unprotected 1st and a prospect for that 2C.