Fair point, but the longer-contracted Cs blocking that development are Abdelkader and Nielsen; Glendening is a reasonable contract, and I think Helm is borderline.
That's the ultimate question though, isn't it? Do you want to take the chance of a draft pick, or attempt a trade for an "established" 2C (I guess at this point that's what we're shooting for)?
How many years do you "hope" that a draft pick pans out without getting a top-three pick (for the record, I would have taken Dach had he fallen to 6 this past draft)? Rasmussen showed fairly decently for a kid coming straight out of Junior last season, but he needs more time; Veleno is on the right track, but he also needs time, and honestly I'm worried he'll just be Helm 2.0.
Per other teams, do the Wings have the assets worth a Ducheeseknee, RNH, or
shudder Kadri?
I agree with the bolded, but I'm not sure that more draft picks do it.
For the record, I like Cholo, but in my opinion he's expendable for the right 2C.