And I think a little bit of that is due to the shift in salary cap allocation and the formation of "haves" and "have-nots" when it comes to UFAs.
Even a couple years ago if you could get a quality fourth liner that could play on the third line when needed or a 6th defenseman on an ELC/RFA deal it was worth it because any UFA you signed was at a premium.
Now though, there's just so many actual 'NHL players' looking for contracts each off season that they are taking major 'discounts' or show me contracts placing them on par with the ELC/RFA contracts.
There's still Maroon, Boyle, Brassard, Gardiner, Hutton out there right now. You don't need to waste a draft on a 'safe' player with an upside of a bottom pairing defenseman because they're available for cheap.
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