A few comments:
1) If they can pull off a trade like that they should absolutely do it; cap space is way more vital for VAN in 2021 than it is this year.

2) Not sure Benning has the choice on the 1st round pick. Unless I'm mistaken I think if they win the play-in round and make the playoffs the pick automatically goes to NJD, and if they lose to MIN they automatically keep this year's pick and send Jersey the 2021 1st. Of course they could always trade 1st's with the Devils, but why give up the 2020 pick if they miss the playoffs? Even with the roster you've built here I think there's just as good of a chance for them to squeak into the playoffs as they had this past year (well, depending on the goaltending).

3) I agree with the general theme of the post in not spending big dollars this year. The only exception I might take is in net. I think they'll definitely try to re-sign Markstrom, and if they can use Demko to get rid of one of Eriksson, Roussel, or Beagle's contracts then all the better. If Marky can be signed at a decent cap hit then it probably makes the most sense to do so. Going the tandem route with Demko/Greiss will save a bit of money this season, but then Demko will need a fairly hefty raise in 2021 if he plays at a starter's caliber, so there's really not a lot to be gained cap-wise there.

I actually like the trade because we get more cap this year, and next year we will have enough from our other expiring contracts/buyout cap hits lowering and in 2022 when we need the cap space most hes gone, and for the time being he can fill in our 3LW spot perfectly

yea the pick is contingent on playoff qualification.

i like this trade too, Gaudette at 4 million for 6 years is i big gamble though i think. it would be great to have him locked up for the 3C position but maybe at 3, or 3.5 for 3 or 4 years would be a bit safer.

Exactly what I'm thinking on the Rangers' end. That massive Shattenkirk buyout hit is only for this coming season; the rest of that buyout is very manageable, and the Rangers only have Chytil, Lindgren, and Buchnevich to worry about in 2022, which the Shattenkirk cap drop and Brendan Smith's contract expiration will cover.

I actually don't agree with that. My personal expectation is that if Demko plays well, the most likely scenario is a 1-2 year bridge contract at a much lower cap hit than what Markstrom would command. If Benning decides, however, that a long-term extension with Demko is the smartest route, and there's enough space to do so after Pettersson and Hughes are locked in, I'd say go for it.

Hank and smith is also almost 13 mil off the books

Chytil shesty lindgren and buch are all 2021, 2022 is mika fox and kakko and probably lemieux once we 2 year bridge him this offseason

It definitely depends on how Demko performs so it's a question mark right now. My point was more that the team will probably spend a roughly similar cap amount toward total goaltending; if they re-sign Markstrom I think they can get away with having a cheaper backup, while they'd want a more reliable 1B type behind Demko until he really proved he can consistently handle a large workload.

VAN will re-sign Markstrom he is priority number 1

what is this?

It's simple. My goal here was to build a roster that can still compete, while saving the necessary funds to pay Pettersson and Hughes without dealing high picks to dump bad contracts.