At first, it seemed National Hockey League general managers forgot it was trade deadline day on Wednesday, April 3 as there were few-and-far-between deals trickling in slowly.
In the last hour, however, a flurry of trades came through to the NHL insiders such as Darren Dreger and Nick Kypreos. The final number of deals came to 17, some minor, others significant.
Sometimes deals seem to be in favour of one team, but down the road, the other club gets more out of the swap. After all, the goods in these transactions are humans who go through ups and down. A change of scenery can turn around a struggling player's fortunate and in some cases can have the opposite effect on a player in his groove.
But at first glance, here is a look at the winners, tweeners and losers at the 2013 NHL trade deadline.
Winners
Buffalo Sabres - Darcy Regier not only found a buyer for Jason Pominville and his 4.505 cap hit, but he fetched a boatload for the 30-year-old winger. For Pominville and a fourth-round pick in 2014, the Sabres acquired Johan Larsson, the 56th pick in the 2010 draft, Matt Hackett, a promising 23-year-old goalie prospect, a first-round pick in 2013, and a second-round pick in 2014.
Frankly, Regier landed more for Pominville than Calgary Flames GM Jay Feaster got for Jarome Iginla. This alone should keep Regier as Buffalo's architect for at least another year, but he wasn't done there. He made a pair of smart long-term deals by sending Robyn Regeher to the Los Angeles Kings for two second-round picks and Jordan Leopold to the St. Louis Blues for a second-round pick and a pair of conditional fifth-round picks.
Columbus Blue Jackets - Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made the biggest move at the deadline by landing Marian Gaborik from the New York Rangers for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, John Moore, and a sixth-round pick in 2014.
The deal is great for the city. It gives Blue Jackets fans a taste of what it is like to be a buyer rather than a seller after shipping Rick Nash to the Rangers in the off-season and Jeff Carter to Los Angeles at last year's trade deadline. It also gives the organization a star to market around.
More importantly, this deal is low-risk and high-reward for Columbus. They didn't give up a blue chip prospect or a franchise player for Gaborik. And if the Slovakian winger can't regain his 40-goal scoring form, he only has one year left on his deal, so the Blue Jackets can walk away from him.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Although their moves came before deadline day, the Penguins loaded up for a Stanley Cup run. They acquired Iginla from the Flames, Brenden Morrow from the Dallas Stars and Douglas Murray from the San Jose Sharks.
What makes Penguins GM Ray Shero a clear-cut winner is that he added three impact players and didn't give up any of this three-top prospects: Portland Winterhawks defenceman Derrick Pouliot, London Knight blueliner Olli Maata and Beau Bennett, the 20th overall pick in 2010. Now that's impressive.
Tweeners
Calgary Flames - Feaster finally started the rebuild in Calgary. He traded two of his biggest assets: Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester. He landed valuable future assets, but it appears he undersold. He didn't land any of the Penguins' top three prospects from the Penguins for Iginla. And for Bouwmeester, Feaster couldn't swindle Portland Winterhawks star Ty Rattie or rookie Jaden Schwartz, the 14th pick in 2010, from the Blues.
Boston Bruins - The Bruins lost out to the Penguins on the Morrow and Iginla sweepstakes. But they somewhat redeemed themselves by landing Jaromir Jagr from the Dallas Stars for Lane MacDermid and the rights to unsigned draft pick Cody Payne, plus a conditional second-round pick, which becomes a first-rounder if the Bruins get to the Eastern Conference final.
By scoring 14 goals and 26 points in 34 games with the Stars, Jagr has proven yet again that he still has gas left in the tank. He is a great offensive addition for the Bruins, but also a valuable veteran presence in the dressing room.
Vancouver Canucks - Canucks GM Mike Gillis made a great trade, landing Derek Roy from the Buffalo Sabres for prospect Kevin Connauton and a second-round pick. Vancouver didn't give up a lot and they filled a major hole in their roster: depth at centre.
Gillis couldn't, however, pull off a deal for Roberto Luongo. He tired, calling Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis three times, lowering the asking price every time. Nonis said thanks, but no thanks every time, though.
Luongo was clearly frustrated when he found out he would be a Canuck for the rest of the season. In a press conference at deadline day, the goaltender said, "My contract sucks. It's why I'm still here (in Vancouver). If I could rip it up, I would."
Unless a team changes its mind on taking on Luongo's 12-year 64-million dollar contact, Gillis might have to buy him out in the summer.
Losers
Washington Capitals - The Capitals don't appear to be a contender. But they made a deal that only makes sense for one. They dealt Filip Forsberg, the 11th overall pick in the 2012 draft, to the Nashville Predators for Martin Erat, a 31-year-old winger with four goals in 36 games on the year, and Michael Latta, the 72nd pick in 2009.
The jury is still out on Forberg. It's a possible he might not pan out, as the majority of first-round picks don't. However, if he does live up to his potential, this deal could go down as one of the worst moves of George McPhee's tenure as the Capitals GM.
Minnesota Wild - There is a lot of pressure on the Wild to make the playoffs this year after landing big-name free agents Ryan Suter and Zach Parise in the off-season. So Minnesota general manager Chuck Fletcher had to make a move to help ensure his sixth-place club would stay in the Western Conference's top eight.
Nevertheless, as mentioned above, Fletcher paid too hefty of a price for Stafford. In a market where the main piece traded for Derek Roy was a second-round pick, the Wild shouldn't have had to give up a first, a second, and two promising prospects.
