I agree that points are still too much of a determining factor. And I also agree with the general idea that great talent on defense gets cheaper than on forward. The problem is just how do you use it? Draft d-men first, OP suggested. What you get then is perhaps an extended first window, but you'll still end up paying those forwards. Besides, you start drafting for position which historically have been a terrible idea.
Maybe not a popular opinion here, but from what I've gathered, great defense can't drive decent offense very well. But the other way around works terrifically. One of the reasons why I really support the way our team is built. Get great forwards and they can have a tremendous impact on the game, and the defense can get by if they can skate, are reliable, and can deliver a decent outlet pass. When the "decent" part is about turning offensive chances to goals, the results aren't as good.
From what I've understood, the cases made around contract negotiations continue to get better. I can't see how Willy camp is reaching for Draisaitl comparisons unless they go heavily into contextualized metrics and micro stats, for example.
It seems that Nylander's slow back checking isn't brought up a lot in contract negotiations. Just his 60 points.
That's because he isn't a slow backchecker.
Check my posts from early last season. I went into who was our most frequent backcheckers. It was in large part our best skaters, who could get back to cover up the third attacker much more quickly. Nylander and Marner were all among our most frequently involved players on the backcheck, for example.
But I get your point. I would just frame it like: "Why does his points drive negotiations so much when his in-zone defense is so lacking?"
The answer to that probably is about rarity. Getting someone who can put up 60 points without huge minutes is very rare, so it costs. Of course, getting someone who can do that while still a reliable two-way player is even more rare.