It is equivalent to being stuck between a "rock and a hard place". Let us set aside the obvious short-comings of this management group for a moment and sympathize with their situation. They know the current product they are icing this season is unacceptable for an NHL level team, however, the "big picture plan" is to dig in and this season and hope for a high pick. On the flip side, if they start trading/sending away guys like Boedker, Anisimov, Ennis, Ryan, Sabourin etc. and bring up some of the younger guys in Belleville, it might provide the fans with a little more reason to watch and attend games but what impression does that give in terms of "being patient" and building it right?
If it were up to me, I would cut away the dead weight, suck it up and load up with some of the players in Belleville and just pray for the best but then again, I have always been "anti-tank" and my philosophy has always been that you ice the best and most entertaining team you possibly can. Trying to play for a top 3 pick has been proven to be a waste of time as we have landed in the #4 spot two years in a row now. Again I am glad I do not have to be the one to make these decisions, but it seems some of the fans want a lottery finish but still want to be entertained with quality players....it just does not work.