I'm just busting your balls, tbh. We're not all that far apart on this issue. I think you're leaning a little too hard into the idea and I feel it's leading to some sloppy reasoning on your part. Do I agree in principle, though? Well, I don't strongly *disagree*. I'm definitely open to the idea of trading the 1st. No good reason why anyone shouldn't be open to it. I just don't think it's a clear-cut no-brainer.
Even if you've got an offer that you and your scouts and your draft team and everyone in the front office are all super excited about, you can't be sure it's the best path forward. Could be a win, could be a loss, could be a bona fide case of each party getting what it wanted and needed. You won't know for a few years after the draft. That's true of anything you do(n't do) in the draft. It's the nature of the beast. Getting Zadina and Veleno and Berggren and McIsaac seemed like a big coup at the time. Fast forward a few years and it's looking like taking Quinn Hughes 7th overall might've been a bigger win.
So...we can look back on a past draft and say, "They could've had Eichel and Ristolainen and Fabbro," but, to me, that isn't particularly meaningful or useful. Maybe you get an Eichel and a Ristolainen and a Fabbro. And maybe that's worth more than McDavid. (Debatable.) But you could just as easily screw it up. I'd say that's the more likely outcome. Yes, three or four kicks at the can is better than one, in theory. But will it work for you? Do you, GM Steve Yzerman, believe in your bones that it will? Tough call.