I keep hearing about this whole "well if Chytil was 7 and Andersson was 21 we'd all be happy" shtick but I don't think it's that simple.
We need to analyze why Andersson was chosen at 7, or maybe in the first round at all. We heard "can step into the NHL very soon" "high motor, highly competitive" "leadership material" "jack of all trades" "3C at the minimum" regarding the player to justify where he was chosen and absolutely none of this has materialized consistently. You don't need years to develop a motor, or compete level, or even a win at all costs attitude.
These were the reasons we justified Lias over someone like Vilardi or Mittlestadt and not only have they not materialized, they look to be largely bull shit. Frankly Lias is looking like he had no business being chosen in the 1st round considering the reasons he was in the high pick conversation at all are probably his most significant weaknesses at the NHL level.
Yeah sure picking him at 21 in theory decreases expectations and reactions but there's no way you can say Lias has been anything but a disappointment up until now. If we drafted an offensively gifted project that had significant holes to be addressed, that is another thing entirely. This is a player who's complete game, intangibles, an NHL readiness put him on the map and these are looking to be his biggest weaknesses over his now three year career.