So the net result of this is trading a 4th round pick for a not very good ahl-caliber player (Beleskey), a not very good defensive prospect (Zboril) and a 7th round pick? This sounds like a good deal for the Bruins and Caps but doesn't help the Devils in any way. I like your idea of capitalizing off free cap space (and I like your sequence of moving parts) but I don't see this offering any benefit. 2 stars for the effort/process.

I think Zboril could be a top 4 defense men in the future for the Bruins/Devils. Which would work out get as Greene is 35, and Moore possibly not resigning, it would mean that the only left handed D-men the Devils would have; would be Butcher, Mueller, and Loov. I love Butcher offensively but defensively he is still learning; Mueller and Loov I haven't seen enough at the NHL level. Plus, with the youth movement, I don't want the devils to go out and sign a 30+ year old to fill one of those spots.

Also looked at the Devils trading with Tampa Bay, for Callahan + picks/ prospects, and Dallas, for Spezza + picks/ prospects, to use some of that cap space and flip, or keep, for draft picks.

I totally agree with everything you said, I just think that there's more value to the cap space/payroll dump than just Zboril. I think that he was drafted way too high, so maybe the expectations are a little out of whack, but he's already been passed over on the depth chart by Carlo and McAvoy. It's more likely that he is a bottom pairing guy who might figure it out and be a 3-4 guy. The Devils already have mediocre defenders. Maybe bump up the draft pick that comes back and the picks that go back to Boston? Keep the 2nd and bump Boston's pick to a 5th?

I've always looked at Dallas as an opportunity to grab a young d (particularly Honka) as a cap dump. I go back and forth on Yzerman's trade genius because he's really good at fleecing morons but I'd be worried he ends up convincing Shero to give away Severson for Callahan.

Anyway, those are my 2 cents...

So I dropped it to a 3rd round pick instead.

Since Zboril did get passed over by Carlo and McAvoy; I was thinking the Bruins would deem him surplus and be more likely to trade him, and we could argue for the next three years about how Zboril will develop.

Also there is the option just to trade for draft picks (ie Beleskey, and a 2nd round pick for a Devil's 6th rounder), if Shero thinks Santini, Loov, Sission, Jacobs, and or White will be ready for the NHL next year.