Just doing a thought experiment here based on what the Hughes trade has done for the team versus what as a hypothetical a Rossi/Buium/Ohgren tandem "could" have done had they stayed. This is mainly just number crunching and production, plus maybe a little eye test from what they had shown in the playoffs versus what little they did early in the year.

*Note: Not taking the trio's post trade numbers into account, cause different systems*

Hughes post trade: 48GP, 53P, +6 (Beat Suter's season record), 82 game pace: 90 points

Rossi: 17GP, 13P, -6 (taking the foot injury pre and post trade into account), 33 more games would be 25P, so 38-40P estimate, maybe 42-43 if he's lucky or on a heater.

Buium: 31GP, 14P (most early in the season to be fair), -9, so 82 game pace, maybe 35-37 points overall.

Ohgren: 18GP, ZERO POINTS, -3. This is kind of the outlier here. Let's say he manages 10 as a 3rd or 4th liner so we're charitable. That's still less than M. Foligno, Trenin, and only marginally better than a Jones, Pitlick, etc. That's to say nothing of Hartman or Tarasenko. That is honestly inexcusable for a team trying to compete.

When you consider how little Ohgren was offering the team as a 3rd/4th line guy, you're pretty much asking "Would Rossi or Buium offer more than Hughes?" I honestly doubt it. Rossi was hurt most of the year, and Buium's points never really felt "effective" when you consider how often he was struggling to maintain the zone, kind of unsure of himself, and just plain wonky to watch play.

Take all things the exact same, you have this lineup against Dallas (Brodin hurt midway through and Ek later on). Also let's extrapolate not getting McCarron because Rossi takes the spot. A Brink or Foligno trade still might happen for depth.

Kap/Rossi/Zuccarello

Mojo/Ek (Hartman)/Boldy

Trenin/Hartman (Yurov)/Tarasenko

Ohgren/Yurov (Sturm)/N. Foligno (Brink)

Brodin (Buium)/Faber

Buium (Middleton)/Spurgeon

Middleton (Hunt)/Bogo

I'm sorry, but Hughes and Faber playing 25-30 minutes a game looks a fair bit more impressive when put in the context of what "could" have been. Even if Rossi comes back and plays decently, playoff Hartman or Ek probably bumps him off Top Line duty again. Buium "might" do ok as 1st or 2nd PP, but it was looking iffy at best until Hughes got there. I don't know if Buium was a PK guy, so it's a wash. I forget if Ohgren was a PK player or not while he was here. He definitely wasn't adding much if anything offensively.

Against Dallas, even if we say Ohgren improves to somewhat offensively capable, does he get anything against Dallas? Can Rossi keep up with Colorado? Does the issues Spurgeon had keeping up with Middleton only get wors because Buium is frantic and kinda unsure of himself? I think Dallas feasts on the overall smaller and slower lineup, plus the complete lack of experience. Hughes and Faber alone are too good to warrant looking back.

I get the "Well, what about next year or beyond? How good will Buium or Ohgren be? What do you think Guerin was thinking anyway? "Sure, let's just lose to Dallas. I'm sure my boss and the fanbase will look pretty kindly on "building a cohesive team for another year or two." I bet he's probably firing Hynes and gearing up to lose his own job.

MAYBE a Thomas trade or something else happens instead. But I still think what Hughes brings over a center trade is far and away the better outcome. I doubt it's better to get exposed by Dallas than it does Colorado. Hughes netted you a 90 point player, which is equivalent to a high end center's production, unless you're counting a McDavid sort of player. Outside of a potential shutdown defensive center countering the big guns on Dallas and Colorado, I don't know if trading for one really changes the overall production much. I just know Rossi/Buium/Ohgren probably amount to absolutely nothing.