Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
Not I. I just think that 4 years down the line a lot of things can change, so 4 first is pretty steep. I wouldn’t be at all mad if we did it, but we’d have to understand that we’re taking on essentially more risk than any team has ever taken on in the salary cap era. For a guy like Eichel, I would give up 4 first without even blinking because even if we get lost out of 2/3 really good players, Eichel is, in my eyes, a top 5 player in the world. Obviosuly, Eichel isn’t an RFA, so it’s not really realistic. Barzal is on pace for 70 points this year, had 62 last year, and while I think he’s got potential to be more than that (he has been more than that), it’s still extremely risky.
You're definitely paying a premium, in both acquisition cost and contract amount, but you're doing so for a level of certainty in the player you're getting back, which you can't get in any of the 4 picks that you'd be giving up.