Who said so?
I feel like you're arguing against strawman here.
In 2015-2016 Canadiens he was on pace for 38 points, playing at top-6 at times. But you do realize my point is not to say Dale Weise is top-6 player. Just to show how rubbish players can artificially raise their value in top-6 duty.
Another thing that should be noted is the Canadiens dilemma: Every player gets an excuse for his situation, yet you can't blame anyone for playing bad.
You're assuming a lot. What were the options. Are you trying to narrow it to a point where things before offer sheet do not matter? But I did answer you - again, before you even asked such question - Canadiens F'ed up on every step.
One thing that is clear, that first round pick should've not been wasted on Dvorak. To make it even worse, it could've been as high as 11th overall, yowzer!