The Rangers since 2011-12 have made the conference finals 3 times, the final once, had 3 100+ seasons, one time winning the east and one time winning the Presidents' Trophy. If they kept those first round picks they'd still not have too many chances to get great players. Look where they'd be drafting. 2010 they REALLY REALLY ****ed up in not taking Tarasenko, the one time they shied away from a Russian, inexcusable. But that doesn't have anything to do with them trading their picks. They, in hindsight shouldn't have traded Duclair, but he was a 3rd rounder. Besides if Duclair is that star player then Buchnevich definitely has potential be a star player. Buchnevich was the better prospect. The Rangers replenished two of their draft picks with Hayes and Vesey. Two guys that most likely we wouldn't get getting a better pick late in the first round anyway. Honestly, it's a fun narrative to make fun of the Rangers for trading first round picks. Two of those were made up for and the others most likely wouldn't superstars either, playing the odds. Only **** up was not getting Tarasenko in 2010, a year when they didn't trade away their draft pick.