Based on Perreault's play, he was a bargain, but not quite at the dollar store. More like an astute selection at a designer mark-down outlet.
While most of us did not enjoy how it turned out, Jokinen was an example of the Jets going after the most sought after C available in FA, for which they paid a fairly significant price. Was that also bargain shopping at the dollar store?
The absolutes presented are what I dislike in the presentation of these arguments. There's good and bad in Chevy's lack of activity regarding UFA's - we may have lost out on some (such as Stastny), but we're also not burdened by Clarkson-like contracts. You may not be happy with that, but many are.