Nobody is arguing CBJ is a playoff team this year (though it's not impossible).
It's just silly to suggest their future is any worse than NJD/OTT/BUF/DET.
Everyone seems high on OTT's moves...which is fine, but they haven't come cheap:
Spoiler!
IN: 2nd, Giroux, DeBrincat, Talbot, Murray...TDL: Hamonic, 5th, Joseph, 4th
OUT: Brown, 7OA, 39OA, 3rd, Gustavsson, 3rd...TDL: 3rd, Sanford, N Paul
This year:
OTT picked 64 72 87 104
CBJ picked 6 12 44 96 109.
CBJ also added a future 3rd from Bjorkstrand (and essentially recovered a 4th they recently traded for a young depth winger)
IMO OTT's goaltending is no better than CBJ (present or future), same with their D:
Werenski~Chabot
Gavrikov~Zub
Gudbranson...Hamonic/Zaitsev/Holden
Bean/Peeke/Boqvist...Brannstrom (OTT is held together by older/expiring UFAs...CBJ has promising young roster D)
Jiricek~Sanderson (Sanderson is bit older/closer)
Mateychuk 12/Ceulemans 25...Thomson 19/Docker 26/Roger 49/Kleven 44/Tychonick 48 (maybe some of these guys end up as good as Bean/Peeke/Boqvist?)