Yup, I was skeptical of the Hronek trade at the time but it's worked out nicely. Sure, he benefits from playing with Hughes, but he's actually playing well and putting up points while doing so. We've seen other D play with him and not, it's a good problem to have.
But yeah, gotta pay the pieces that actually work out. Joshua will likely get more than some folks like too for just that reason, be it here or elsewhere. Pettersson just got his bag because he's developed into a franchise level talent, what a problem to have. Same goes for Hughes.
We could always be stuck paying a Gagner, Del Zotto, Spooner, Schaller, Eriksson, or so on. Folks should look back on some of the rosters we've iced since 2013 onward from time to time, things could be much bleaker.