To Buffalo: both first round picks, Thatcher Demko To Vancouver: 2nd overall
2014: Sam Reinhart
2015: Travis Konecny
2016: Clayton Keller
To Vegas: 5th overall, 2nd round, pick 2017, Jordan Subban To Vancouver: 13th and 15th overall
2017: Cal Foote, Tim Liljegen
These were my honest wants at the time, if this had been done we would have Reinhart and Horvat as our centers of the present forming the nucleus of our new core. Konecy and Keller could both be in Utica for one more year, laying waste to the AHL, then once brought up could play wing till injuries happened, then they slot in at center. But we would have FOUR centers to anchor our forward group for years, and the also in Utica we would have two D prospects on their way to being impact players in the near future.
My draft philosophy is simple BCA (Best center available) than in years where you feel you are stocked with centers you try and grab as many first round D men as possible, here I go for quantity over quality, they need to be first round material, but unless there is a sure thing where you are picking go for as many defensemen as possible, trade down if someone has two late 1sts, or keep yours and acquire assets during the year to flip for a late first. Again it must be MULTIPLE defencemen of late first round pedigree, then see which ones rise to the occasion.
If you can help it, NEVER take wingers or goaltenders in the first round, and unless it's the 2nd coming of Ray Bourque, don't take D-men with high picks, trade down and get a few.