Don't really understand all the hate... it's not like Nylander or Ehlers were risk-free picks, especially in the western conference. Would have been fantastic to trade up for Reinhart, but the reality is that outside of the top 5 all of the picks come with substantial risks. I'm comfortable with the idea that Benning and his team made the best offer they were willing to make for a higher pick and backed themselves in from there.
Further than that, one of the main reasons Benning was lauded as a great hire was his depth of experience in scouting and recruitment. I'm going to choose not to make the bonehead assumption he would select Virtanen just because he's from BC. He has access to a wealth of first, second and third-handed information on these kids and he was hired because he knows what he's doing.
Looking forward to seeing how this all pans out!