I think you are missing my point.
If the idea is to not get locked down into contracts that become problems, I'm not talking about taking Price or JVR.
I'm asking why didn't they take Dillon and get a few picks out of it or why didn't they take Ghost and get a few picks out of it instead of signing one of Larsson or Oleksiak?
Ghost is cheaper in contract and actual cost and has less term plus Philly would've paid for them to take him.
Why wouldn't they take Zucker over Tanev if they were planning on signing Schwartz? Same cap hit, but two years less in term. And it isn't like Tanev's contract is some easy go.
I understand some of the team's picks. Gourde, Eberle. They are nice players. But, a lot of their approach just seems extremely scatterbrain and without reason. The Grubs signing is a perfect example.
We wanted to save cap space. But oh, a goaltender who has largely been playing in one of the best environments available is available let's give him a ton of years and money. Doesn't make sense. Now if they were changing their mind for a player like say Eichel or Hamilton, I'd get it. But, I dunno. Just seems very haphazard without any plan.
Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean there isn't a plan.
This is a different cap environment. Seattle wants to remain cap flexible, which they mostly have.
Most of their guys aren't really overpaid, and if they are, it's only by 1 - 1.5 million. They don't have big anchor contracts bogging them down, so it is not an issue.
Seattle was never going to be competitive if they went with the traditional route, strong offensive players in the top 6, strong top pairing for special teams, a strong defensive unit to counter other teams superstars, and a 4th line to be physical and chew up soft minutes. Look at the exposed lists. If they had picked up the top players, they would be in cap hell, and all the guys that were exposed were trending downward with age or injury.
Francis targeted guys with a strong work ethic to run the locker-room, and players that will be difficult to play against, while maintaining a fairly large amount of free cap. Character was a huge factor in the selection process (Tanev over Zucker, Eberle over Bailey, nobody over Voracek)
The team does not have to waste cap just because it doesn't carry over. This years UFA crop is limited. It is much smarter to not spend and make sure you have a lot of free cap next year and the year after while the other GMs will have further tied their hands with the bad deals and buyouts they gave out this year.
Right now, the team will have 3 middle six lines that they will likely roll out indiscriminately. Other teams won't have a set strategy for easy coaching match-ups, and the hope is that some of these guys (Gourde, Appleton, McCann, Geekie, etc) will step up in larger roles.
As for the goalie situation, Vanecek was the best option available. The pick was an insurance pick. But Between him and Driedger, there is a huge amount of uncertainty as to whether or not Seattle actually had starter caliber goaltending. As others have stated, Grubauer was a pipe dream, but when he became available, Francis swapped Vanecek for him and got a 2nd in the process.
Plans change as opportunities arise. This team is built differently because it has to be. They don't have young guys on ELCs in the pipeline up and coming to replace guys as their contracts expire. They will rely on the UFA market for a couple of years to pick up a few bargains until their first crop of prospects are ready. This requires being cap flexible.
If the plan fails miserably, well then, finishing bottom 3 in the next two drafts would be a pretty huge consolation prize. I would think you as a Penguins fan would understand this more than most.