Yeah, Shero sure sold high on all the parts he moved in the Hossa deal. EC and Esposito became worthless and Army is damn near the same.
This is a fantastic point to make.
In hindsight, people always can say that a different player or players should have been taken with a pick. But it can't be argued that the Penguins got more out of the players it got in return than the teams that traded for those players.
I'm not talking about asset management (which Shero did quite well with that draft -- such as turning Esposito into Hossa and Dupuis), I'm talking specifically about the players chosen and their eventual NHL effectiveness.
For example, if we trade Beau Bennett for Corey Perry (a fantastical improbability), but Bennett and the rest of his draft class go on to play zero NHL games, it will be a case of fantastic asset management, but the draft itself would be horrible in terms of the players picked ending up contributing at the NHL level.
I get your point, but until a regime shows that it consistently makes mistakes when it steps up to the podium, I wouldn't make a big deal out of this. And a management team that shows a knack for getting relatively high value for assets that quickly depreciate after the deal should be commended.
If a pattern of bad drafts emerge, then I'll worry.
If a pattern emerges of bad drafts but we trade about-to-flounder prospects for competent NHLers, I'll worry considerably less.
Of course, I'd much rather have Shero do a fantastic job of drafting & developing talent and always get the better of his trade partners, but let's be reality ...