Man, this is a weird one.
On one hand, I think Shero has done much more positive than negative. We don't need to rehash the what state of the Devils and the barren prospect pool when he took over in 2015. Obviously the acquisitions of Hall and Palmieri are the highlights here. I'm not going to kill him for Subban, Simmonds, and the goaltending situation because I was cool with decisions in the summer. These were fine calculated risks that haven't panned out.
Let's face it, we don't know the whole story here. This is obviously speculation on my part, but I can't believe the owners were happy that Hall left without even discussing numbers. Maybe the agent flat out told Shero he wasn't staying so it'd be a waste of time, but considering the strong statements Harris and Blitzer made in '18 about being so fervent about extending Hall - it doesn't look good. I am in the belief Shero did the right thing in trading him, but again, optics and all that.
If this is a philosophical decision and Shero wanted to blow it up again, as speculated, then this is the right move. Obviously you sell off UFAs when you're out of it but eventually, you have to keep some of your UFAs. If Palmieri was the line in the sand, then I'm glad this decision was made. Local kid, good leader, has a skillset that shouldn't diminish too badly in his 30s. If you're Hughes and Nico and you hear rumors that the team is looking to move KP a year before his deal is up, what kind of message does that send? Sure doesn't seem like you're committed to winning in the short term. I've been pro-tank for years but enough is enough. This young core has to now figure out how to win. It's why I'm not upset over these seemingly meaningless wins against Washington and TB.