So the history behind trading into the top ten with draft picks isn't lengthy in about 20 years of cap league hockey. I think the most useful example is from 2019 as it is the most recent example of someone moving up from 14 where Arizona traded 14 and 45 to Philly to get to 11. So I think 14 and 42 should get us to 10 if New Jersey would be interested. At this level of the draft though, there is no precedent for trading this far out into the top 10. When we made our move to get Couture, that is tied for the furthest jump up in a trade and it was only four slots. I don't think any team ahead of New Jersey will drop that much for a couple 2nds. I'd be alright with doing 14 and 42 for 10 to secure one of those defenseman but that's probably it.
Since the cap was brought in, there was a trade from #7 with #68 and the following year's 2nd to get to #5 (Toronto getting Luke Schenn), a trade from #9 with #40 to get to #7(Nashville getting Colin Wilson), a trade from #12 with #49 and a the following year's 3rd to get #8 (Setoguchi), and the Couture deal using #13, #44, and the following year's 3rd to get to #9. Out of all of that, only the Couture pick was really worth the movement. Yeah, Schenn, Wilson, and Setoguchi were NHL'ers but they weren't good players worth that draft position nor the assets moved up to get them. Cooch was the only one worth it.
To me, that information tells me that we're probably only going to be able to move up four or five spots at the most even if we have two 2nd rounders worth more than that. Moving from 14 to 9 or 10 would guarantee us one of the top six defensemen but these guys just don't scream franchise caliber defensemen either to make it worthwhile. They'd probably be top four caliber guys which we could still use but not enough to me to justify sacrificing another early pick to do it. Maybe if a consensus top five drops down to 10 like Levshunov but everyone else isn't really consensus top five.
Keep the picks, let it play out, and pick BPA. If we end the first two rounds with Celebrini, MBN, Emery, and Misa, I'd be perfectly content with that.