NHL Trade Deadline: Biggest Deadline Deals the Last 10 Years

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Most NHL trade deadlines recently have seen a big trade or one team being a clear winner.

Someone always seems to elevate themselves to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Of course, they also often get upset in the first or second round.

Since today's trade deadline has been so slow thus far, let's take a look back at the biggest trade deadline deals of the last decade.

2000-01: St. Louis Blues Acquire Keith Tkachuk

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On deadline day 2001, the Phoenix Coyotes sent Keith Tkachuk to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy, Jeff Taffe and a first-round pick (Ben Eager).

Tkachuk was about a point-per-game power forward, who had twice scored 50 goals in a season, and instantly made the Blues a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup.

The Blues ended up losing to the Colorado Avalanche who, a few weeks before the deadline, acquired Rob Blake, which helped them win the Stanley Cup.

2001-02: New Jersey Devils Acquire Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner

The New Jersey Devils sent Jason Arnott, Randy McKay and a first-round pick (Daniel Paille) to the Dallas Stars for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner in one of the bigger deadline deals ever.

While the Devils lost in the first round of the 2002 playoffs, Langenbrunner and Nieuwendyk were key factors in the Devils winning the Stanley Cup in 2003.

2002-03: Detroit Acquires Mathieu Schneider

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Los Angeles traded Mathieu Schneider to Detroit for Sean Avery, Maxim Kuznetsov, a first-round pick (Jeff Tambellini) and a second-round pick in 2004 (Martin Karsums).

The Red Wings were Cup contenders heading into the playoffs, but were shockingly swept by the Western Conference's seventh-seeded Anaheim Ducks.

2003-04: Toronto Acquires Ron Francis

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The 2004 trade deadline was a slow one, with one of the biggest deals being between Carolina and Toronto.

Carolina sent veteran Ron Francis to the Leafs in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

The Leafs ended up losing in the second round of the playoffs and haven't made them since.

2005-06: Carolina Acquires Mark Recchi

After losing the 2004-05 season to the lockout, the Carolina Hurricanes made the biggest splash on deadline day in 2006.

The Hurricanes sent Niklas Nordgren, Krystofer Kolanos and a second-round pick (Kevin Marshall) to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Mark Recchi.

Recchi put up 16 points in 25 playoff games and helped the Hurricanes win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

2006-07: New York Islanders Acquire Ryan Smyth

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In 2007, the New York Islanders made a splash, acquiring Ryan Smyth from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Robert Nilsson, Ryan O'Marra and a first-round pick (Alex Plante).

It didn't make the Islanders Cup contenders but it helped them squeeze into the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they lost in the first round and Ryan Smyth left as a free agent just after the season's end.

2007-08: Pittsburgh Acquires Marian Hossa

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In 2008, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first-round pick (Daultan Leveille).

Hossa was fantastic for the Penguins, helping them to within two games of the Stanley Cup by posting 26 points in 20 playoff games.

Hilariously, Hossa left the Penguins to sign with the Detroit Red Wings (who had beaten them in the Finals). The Penguins returned the favor and beat Hossa and the Red Wings in the 2009 Finals.

The 2008 season saw several other big deals including San Jose acquiring Brian Campbell, Detroit getting Brad Stuart, Dallas acquiring Brad Richards and Washington getting Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov.

2008-09: Calgary Flames Acquire Olli Jokinen

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Back when Olli Jokinen was about a point-per-game player, the Calgary Flames made a big splash on deadline day by sending Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a first-round pick (Brandon Gormley) to Phoenix to acquire him.

The Flames proceeded to fall apart the rest of the season and eventually lost in the first round to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Other big deals in 2009 were Bill Guerin to the Pittsburgh Penguins (which won the Cup) and Mark Recchi to the Boston Bruins.

2009-10: Colorado and Phoenix Flip Wojtek Wolski and Peter Mueller

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Colorado traded Wojtek Wolski to Phoenix for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter in a deal that was largely thought to be a win for both teams.

Both Wolski and Mueller were young players who had a good season, then started to sputter. They were both in need of fresh starts and this trade gave them exactly that.

Wolski put up 18 points in 18 games for the Coyotes while Mueller scored 20 points in 15 games for the Avs.

Unfortunately, Mueller suffered a severe concussion before the end of the regular season and hasn't played since.

2010-11: Los Angeles Acquires Dustin Penner

The biggest trade of the deadline day so far was the Los Angeles Kings sending Colton Teubert, a 2011 first-round pick and a 2012 second or third-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers for Dustin Penner.

It bolsters LA's chances for playoff success and helps a rebuilding Oilers team.