NHL Trade Deadline: Power Ranking the 10 Biggest Deals That Got Done

For much of the speculation made leading up to the NHL trade deadline, the day came and went without much noise. Plenty of teams were on the hunt to add depth to their lines or find replacements for key players working through injuries. With the playoffs in sight, the trade deadline was the last chance teams would have to bolster their Stanley Cup chances.

So who pulled off the best trades and who came up short? Trades in any sport aren’t just dependent on what you got for the short term, but they also have to factor in what you gave up and how it will impact the team in the long run. So here’s a look at the deals made yesterday and which deal was the biggest. 

10. Atlanta Thrashers Acquire RW Radek Dvorak

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UNIONDALE, NY - FEBRUARY 21: Radek Dvorak #14 of the Florida Panthers waits for a faceoff during an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum on February 21, 2011 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Atlanta Gets:

RW Radek Dvorak

2011 5^th Round Pick

Florida Gets:

RW Niclas Bergfors

LW Patrick Rissmiller

The Story:

The Thrashers are still in the playoff hunt but they’ve been looking for a little veteran presence who can help them on the offensive end. Dvorak seems like a good fit for them. What they have given up was a right winger in Bergfors that never really found his niche in Atlanta. His offense wasn’t what they had hoped it would be, but now he’ll get a chance in Florida to be a part of the action. 

9. Carolina Hurricanes Acquire D Bryan Allen

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UNIONDALE, NY - FEBRUARY 21: Bryan Allen #5 of the Florida Panthers waits for a faceoff during an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum on February 21, 2011 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Carolina Gets:

D Bryan Allen

Florida Gets:

LW Sergei Samsonov

The Story:

Florida made yet another trade as they dumped off Bryan Allen to the Hurricanes. Carolina gets the better end of this deal because they were in desperate need of some more depth on their blue line. Allen has one year left on his deal, which wasn’t what Florida was willing to take on as they continue to shed payroll. This was a salary dump for Florida and an upgrade for Carolina. 

8. Chicago Blackhawks Acquire D Chris Campoli

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CALGARY, CANADA - FEBRUARY 9: Chris Campoli #14 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Calgary Flames on February 9, 2011 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Dale MacMillan/Getty Images)

Chicago Gets:

D Chris Campoli

2012 Conditional Seventh Round Pick

Ottawa Gets:

C Ryan Potulny

2011 Second Round Pick

The Story:

The defending Stanley Cup Champions have had a hard time staying in position for the playoffs, so they felt that getting Campoli would be an upgrade to help a defense that has struggled to regain form.

The hope is that Campoli can give heavy minute guys like Brent Seabrook a break and in return the Hawks were willing to give up a young center in Potulny and a valuable draft pick this offseason. It’s a trade that should benefit both teams. 

7. Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire LW Scottie Upshall

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GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 07: Scottie Upshall #8 of the Phoenix Coyotes skates against the Colorado Avalanche at the Jobing.com Arena on February 7, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Columbus Gets:

LW Scottie Upshall

D Sami Lepisto

Phoenix Gets:

D Rostislav Klesla

LW Dane Byers

The Story:

This is the kind of trade that worked out for both teams. Both Columbus and Phoenix are fighting for the same spot in the playoff bracket, but both saw moves to be made to bolster their hopes.

Columbus is going to get two solid producers in Upshall and Lepisto. Upshall has 16 goals this season and Lepisto can move the puck for them. What they had to give up was Klesla. Phoenix will be happy with a man who can take the place of the injured Ed Jovanovski. Neither one of these teams has put themselves into series title contention, but it’s made both more relevant in the playoff picture.

6. Buffalo Sabres Aquire F Brad Boyes

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SUNRISE, FL - FEBRUARY 8: Brad Boyes #22 of the St. Louis Blues prepares for a face off against the Florida Panthers on February 8, 2011 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. The Blues defeated the Panthers 2-1. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Ima

Buffalo Gets:

Brad Boyes

St. Louis Gets:

2011 Second Round Draft Pick

The Story:

This was a great deal for Buffalo. They get Brad Boyes, who has had very good offensive seasons in the past. They will now have the offensive power they need to put themselves into the playoffs and maybe make noise when they get there.

St. Louis wasn’t getting the production they wanted from Boyes so getting a fresh start elsewhere made the most sense. 

5. Florida Panthers Acquire D Evan Oberg

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ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Evan Oberg #64 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Anaheim Ducks during a preseason game at the Honda Center on September 17, 2009 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Florida Gets:

D Evan Oberg

2013 Third Round Pick

Vancouver Gets:

LW Christopher Higgins

The Story:

This was about two things: Vancouver having Stanley Cup hopes and Florida not having any. Florida gave up Higgins and continues to shed payroll. The Canucks, on the other hand, get themselves a reliable left-wing and someone who can help them go deep into the playoffs. 

4. Vancouver Canucks Acquire C Maxim Lapierre

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ANAHEIM, CA - JANUARY 12: Maxim Lapierre #14 of the Anaheim Ducks skates against the St. Louis Blues at the Honda Center on January 12, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Vancouver Gets:

C Maxim Lapierre

C MacGregor Sharp

Anaheim Gets:

C Joel Perrault

2012 Third Round Pick

The Story:

Lapierre was a bit of a gamble for the Canucks. He’s a good player with talent, but he doesn’t always have his head in the right place. If he can keep himself in check he could really help the Canucks do some damage. It’s clear that Vancouver thinks it has a shot this year and it’s done its best to find guys that not only help those chances, but won’t be eaten alive by the pressure. 

3. Washington Capitals Acquire C Jason Arnott

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DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 22: Jason Arnott #25 of the New Jersey Devils at American Airlines Center on February 22, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Washington Gets:

C Jason Arnott

New Jersey Gets:

C David Steckel

2012 Second Round Pick

The Story:

This trade was a little risky for the Capitals. By acquiring Arnott they were banking on a couple of different things. For one, they were banking that he’d be healthy. In the last few years Arnott has had trouble staying healthy and it’s had an impact on his teams.

The other thing they were banking on is that he’d be relevant in the playoffs again. Since 2000 he hasn’t been a big factor and that is something that isn’t lost on the Capitals. However, they feel with the right supporting pieces Arnott can not just help, but have a huge impact on their goal of getting to the Finals. 

2. Washington Capitals Acquire D Dennis Wideman

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UNIONDALE, NY - FEBRUARY 21: Dennis Wideman #6 of the Florida Panthers skates during an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum on February 21, 2011 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Washington Gets:

D Dennis Wideman

Florida Gets:

C Jake Hauswirth

2011 Third Round Pick

The Story:

Florida continued to make moves that would pare down their roster. That was good news for Washington who wanted to take advantage of Florida’s proactive approach. Wideman is scheduled to make $4.5 million next season. He’ll help the power play for the Caps and while his defense isn’t as good as it should be, the Caps feel they can make some of his deficiencies. He’s a great addition to an already solid team in Washington.

1. Los Angeles Kings Acquire RW Dustin Penner

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SAN JOSE, CA - DECEMBER 21: Dustin Penner #27 of the Edmonton Oilers in action against the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion on December 21, 2010 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Gets:

RW Dustin Penner

Edmonton Gets:

D Colten Teubert

2011 First Round Pick

2012 Conditional Third Round Pick

The Story:

Dustin Penner isn’t what the Kings ultimately wanted, but he might just be the guy they needed. Coming to the Kings benefits him. His arrival gives them depth and a lineup that can compete with some of the league's elite teams.

Don’t discount what the Oilers get out of the deal either. Edmonton got themselves a former first round pick and another one on top of that. While Penner has some upside, he just wasn’t living up to their expectations in Edmonton and it was time to call it quits. This was the ideal trade for both teams.