A proven top 4 dman in the Pettersson/Hughes age range (like the Hronek deal)

Or a similar age top 6 forward

Pesce off the top of my head, or someone else of his caliber

You need a legit offensive gun for top 6 and another rather legit top 4 for your blueline, so buying will be expensive to move that sticks that far, but anything possible with health.

I would target pettersson bff, try to get him happy to stick around longterm, then possibly raid Philly or somebody headed for a bottom out.

Which lottery team has best available defensive dman?

ANA, ARI, CHI, MTL, PHI, STL, SJS…

If it's playoffs or bust?

Move Myers

Trade Lettermaki and 2024 1st for Pesce.

Give up 2025 2nd rounder + to try and get Benning out of SJS as 3 RD. If possible, try to get Duclair but that may be a bit too challenging. Benning is the priority there.

Nylander is the best option by a country mile.

You are stuck with Soucy/Hronek/Cole/Hughes/Myers on the backend so a trade for a D doesn't make much sense.

Acquiring a D will come at other costs like players on waivers, pushing Cole/Soucy down the lineup. You don't want to get into the habit of losing players for free or upsetting UFAs.

Makes it a lot harder to win when you give away assets and can't acquire free ones.

Will cost at least a 2nd likely a 1st to move Myers.

Perhaps, but with him being owed $1m in salary at this point there may be some interest for him on teams looking for a gritty RD. Of course, his cap hit is way too limiting and it would need something added to it, but for a while there ANA fans were okay with Myers + 3rd for FC. May still find something along those lines. Big if, but in the event you're right then I would pay that if it is a playoffs or bust scenario.

In reality though (where I do need to consider the future) I wouldn't do any of those trades except maybe the Benning trade. I'd try to get Pesce in FA since Lettermaki is projecting well, wait out the final year of Myers, and focus on trading Beau for a 1st at the TDL to a desperate team in contention with an injured winger.

Nylander and you pretty much have the Sedin twins back?

Boeser for Ehlers as a basis

It's unlikely any team would be able to offer a cost-contolled, true top pairing RHD or speedy with size RH3C / PKer to VAN so the short answer is nothing. VAN has a terrible prospect pool. The team needs to create opportunities for affordable and controllable players to make their roster over the coming seasons. They already have money and term tied up in a plethora of wingers. They need more 'lottery balls' to hit.