Quoting: Eatnpeach
So you think Marner for the 4th overall is fair?
TK +their own 2nd get it done?
Absolutely not from CBJ's perspective. 4OA should be a key contributor for Columbus' timeline. Marner, if he extends, is 29-30 before we're even ready to compete.
Same with TK, they just don't fit the timeline. If someone like Nashville had a top-10 pick somehow, yeah, I could see them trading it to push for a Cup next season with the current cast. But for Columbus, neither fit the timeline, so 4OA should be off the table.
And with Laughton/KJ: Columbus needs top-end talent. The only way we'd trade KJ is if he's part of a bigger package for a Tkachuk-type player (young star winger with term that fits the timeline). Another middle-6 center over 30 and a late 1st doesn't help the team now or in the future.
To summarize: these are the types of moves contending teams make, when they're supplementing a core group. These aren't the types of moves Columbus should make, a rebuilding team that's still trying to figure out who the core group is.