Oh please. If Romanov is expendable, what does that make Dach and Newhook. I would rather have Romanov, 2023 31st and 37th at this point. We got players like Beck around that range, and we got Hutson late 2nd. I would choose us keeping a top 4 physical D and two good picks (since we actually draft well). Romanov expendable lol. What a BS excuse for a bad trade.
Edit: I also didn't say the trades were going to break us. I said they could set us back. Why do you argue in this way? You twist people's words to a ridiculous degree. I guess it is hard to debate when you use someone's actual words and arguments.
I was a huge Romanov fan and wish he was still around, but with the clutter of LHD he was the only guy with real value at the time. In order to try and fill a hole in another area, he was the only guy who could be moved and it still makes sense to take a risk in trading for Dach given it is rare for players with his type of potential to be available.
- Matheson was signed long-term and it was before he broke out offensively
- Edmundson was injury prone and difficult to move at that point
- Guhle hadn't played a game in the NHL, his value wasn't close to what it'd be today
- Harris had only a handful of games and didn't have a ton of value
- Xhekaj was a UDFA with no NHL games under his belt, likely minimal value
Hughes is part of the management group that is drafting well, odds are he looked at who would be available at 31st and 37th and wasn't impressed with who'd be there and thought Newhook would be a better gamble. Last year Newhook was trending in the right direction, however this year, like a lot of players he's taken a step back.
Over the years we've had plenty of times we picked multiple times in the 30s or soon after, the only meaningful pick was Romanov. We have lucked out with guys like Hutson in the 2nd round, but more often than not you are picking career AHLers or guys who will end up in Europe.
In 2012 we drafted Collberg 33rd and Thrower 51st
In 2013 we drafted De la Rose 34th and Fucale 36th
In 2017 we drafted Brook 56th and Ikonen 58th
In 2018 we drafted Ylonen 35th and Romanov 38th
In 2020 we drafted Tuch 47th and Mysak 48th