That's a false choice fallacy.
I don't really care to relitigate this because none of us really know what was on the table, but there were a lot of rumors that involved top prospects or young NHLers like Kakko+a pick. It wasn't necessary what they got or a late 1st and that's it.
And really, I'm not even arguing one side or the other. I'm just saying I understand being disappointed with the Guentzel trade. If that's your opinion, cool. If it's not, also cool. I see both sides. The rest of the trades, though, I think have been pretty good.
Sure, but they are combing for $6M in cap space and playing mostly on the 4th line while Sid has been playing with guys that shouldn't be above the 3rd line.
Unless they can turn the top 6 around, that's going to remain a criticism of those trades IMO. I'm just not as down on it now because at least Hayes and Glass are playing pretty well.
I'm going to see how Brunicke looks this year before I squawk too hard about a 1st from the Guentzel trade. That draft was an absolute cluster after about 10-12 guys.
The problem I have with your bottom statement is, while it's fair to say "we could have had an extra $6mil to spend on a top 6 wing", we have to first stop and consider whether or not that something that we should even be doing. Looking in and around that price range, we are looking at guys like Toffoli ($6mil x 4yr), Marchessault ($5.5mil x 5yr), Bertuzzi ($5.5mil x 4yrs, and Stephenson ($6.25mil x 7yr).
For where this organization is at and how much overall impact guys like those would ultimately have, I think there's a good argument to suggest we shouldn't have and that we were better off taking the draft capital and rounding out our depth. Hayes is scoring for us just as good as any of those guys and will likely net us a small return at the TDL (this year or next). Glass is 25yo and can do both center and wing and is overall doing well on top of being a RFA. He's a young bottom/middle-6 center that we really needed, and once you have guys like Eller, Hayes, and maybe Acciari going out, we will need him for a bottom-6 center slot.
I don't think a $6mil+ wing would be a difference-maker right now. Not with the way everything else looks.