"When the Bruins finally traded Marco Sturm to the Kings yesterday, nine days after the original deal fell through, the club earned the cap relief it was seeking. In return, the Bruins received future considerations, a polite euphemism for absolute zero.

"As far as what we got in return, it's classified as 'future considerations,' '' said general manager Peter Chiarelli. "But really, it's nothing. Part of that speaks to trading him now vs. trading him later on in the year, which we could have done also. But in fairness to Marco, it allowed him to begin his journey, so to speak, in a place that's a good landing spot for him.''

And so a player once included in a trade for future league MVP Joe Thornton found himself headed back to the West Coast for nothing, reflecting what little value he had in today's cap-constrained world."