Shows bad judge of hockey talent though. What I getting at. Hughes obviously had no idea on Barron. Newhook is similar and Dach. We gave up a good first pick in Dach trade. Altogether those 3 players costs us 4 first round picks. Lekhonen was worth a first all day long. He was solid player
Hindsight is 20/20 and ignoring that we got three first back in all that movement is revisionist to say the least.
At the time of the Lehkonen trade, a second and a former first was considered strong value. Barron had promise at the time of the trade. I would have kept lehks over Armia, but the clubs hands were pretty well tied.
We gave up a first and a third for Dach. The first was acquired in the Romanov trade, so Romanov and a pick for Kirby. Dach looked strong the first year with Monahan, and came to camp in 2023 with a boat load of confidence. It takes time to come back from the kind of injury he had. If at all. There was risk regarding injury history, but I think it was a low-risk move.
Is Newhook the player that took steps last year and put up good second line pace, or is he the player that's hit the skids this year? It's probably the worst value of all the moves.
In - a 25th overall, a 3rd overall, and a 16th overall. Three firsts.
Out - a second (Romanov), a second (Lehkonen), a 4th round pick, a first round pick (Nazar), a 3rd (Fairbrother), a 1st, and a 2nd.
On the face, 3 firsts for two first, two 2nds, a 3rd and a 4th.
There’s no world Armia would have returned a recent first round pick RHD and a second round pick. If Barron were actually good, the trade would’ve been fine for a rebuilding team. The problem wasn’t the value of the trade, it’s pro-scouting failure on Barron.
It's a hedge. Barron had strong offensive upside and only a year under his belt. They thought he could develop his game. At 23, he still could, but it was time to move. So is holding any grudges.