There's an argument to make from either side:
1) Would a mid-teens 2019 be in the lineup any earlier than a lottery player in 2020? I say no.
2) Would the upside of, say, a top-7 pick would be worth two picks in the 20's? Easily.
3) Team contract situation plays into it quite a bit. When will you need those ELC's in your lineup and in what roles?
4) And from the other direction, maybe San Jose and Saint Louis meet in the Stanley Cup finals in 2020 (after emergency realignment when the Leafs fold the franchise after missing the playoffs in 2019
)
Taking the known quantity over the high potential is a never-ending argument. There's examples of either one working out. If Colorado gets Jack Hughes with the Ottawa pick you know how they'll feel about it. If they pick in the high 20's, who knows.
Just saying, there's superior upside to have unprotected picks one year later that you would not get with top-10 or lottery-protected picks a year earlier. You could never get a lottery hit with a protected pick. But everything would have to work out right, sure. Same as everything else.