You invest in one area just means that eventually you'll have to subtract from another.
Wingers are the least important position players on the team the way the game is played. Debrusk will need a new contract sooner rather than later.
Spending all sorts of cap space on wingers at the expense of C and D is moronic.
Pasta& Marchand are making 6M, it's less than these UFA guys way lesser players are getting from the market.
All 3 of Marchand/Pasta/Panarin are franchise type of wingers, all of them make your team better.
How and where do you spent the money on C? More Backes signings? That's the guys you get from the UFA market, or maybe Stastny at 6.5M?
Panarin is superior to those players.
No one will trade you their franchise C, it's extremely difficult to draft a franchise C from a playoff position and even if you land one it's 5-7 years away when you have to pay that guy.
So how do you spent the money on C on quality?
I'd rather have a franchise W than Backes/Stastny type of UFA signing.
I'd get your point if Marchand& Pasta were in the 8-10M range, but they are in the 6M range, and quality u30 players are easy to move.