I must say that I'm not all that surprised with the fallout of New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello's efforts to get out from under the $7.1 million of the combined salaries of Vladimir Malakhov and Alexander Mogilny.

Some fans, observers and according to a TSN report some general managers are upset over how Lamoriello did it, noting that because he put himself in that situation in the first place by overpaying those two players he should be forced to suffer the consequences,rather than receive any cap relief.

There's some disbelief over the trade with the San Jose Sharks that allowed the Devils to effectively dump Malakhov's salary, and some questioning the interpretation of the CBA clause regarding long-term injury status and Lamoriello's efforts to use it to write off the remainder of the the 37-year-old Mogilny's contract.

I've read some grumbling about circumvention of the CBA, or of the league cutting Lamoriello a break due to his status as one of the members of the league's negotiating committee during the lockout.

Any grumbling or complaints about Lamoriello's tactics are baseless.

So Lamoriello may have successfully exploited a loophole in the CBA to get out from under Mogilny's contract. Should anyone be shocked? It was there to be used and Lamoriello, being a savvy GM, did so. Just like any other general manager in a similar situation with working knowledge of the CBA would've done. Any general manager upset over this is a hypocrite.

The same goes for the Malakhov trade. In that case, it took two to tango, and in this instance, Sharks GM Doug Wilson was more than happy to bail out Lamoriello with the offer of a conditional first round pick and the Devils willingness to take the rights of troublesome Alexander Korolyuk in return.

During the lockout I predicted that this CBA wasn't free of loopholes, that any GM worth his salt would find them and exploit them. Nobody should be surprised that it has occurred a little over a year after the current CBA was ratified.

There was plenty of outrage nearly ten years ago with the Boston Bruins for exploiting a loophole under the previous CBA regarding rookie salaries to sign Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov to bonus-laden contracts. Yet every team followed the Bruins lead.

Don't be surprised if other teams attempt to follow the Devils lead. The outrage is phony and only for public consumption.

And don't be surprised if more loopholes are found and exploited, if not by the Devils by other teams.