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Pittsburgh Penguins

Just when you assumed that Ray Shero would be sitting in his office at Consol Energy Center with his feet up drinking banana daiquiris, the Penguins GM added another piece to the arsenal, picking up forward Jussi Jokinen from Carolina. The 30-year-old will likely start at center as the Penguins were looking for someone to bridge the gap while captain Sidney Crosby recovers from a broken jaw. Beyond that, Jokinen, who had a strong playoff for Carolina in 2009 when the Canes advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, is simply another depth piece that is mindful of players such as Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora, who were in and out of the Penguins' lineup in 2009 when they won the Stanley Cup but who periodically made key contributions. Although the actual numbers weren’t revealed, the Hurrricanes agreed to take on some of Jokinen’s salary next season when he is slated to earn $3 million. If the Pens win the Cup, they will also send a sixth-round pick to Carolina; it becomes a later pick if they fall short.

Ottawa Senators

GM Bryan Murray continues to work magic as he dealt lanky netminder Ben Bishop to Tampa for Cory Conacher, the second-leading rookie point-producer, and a fourth-round pick. The Sens, of course, have defied skeptics by staying in the thick of the playoff hunt in spite of the absence of Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and netminder Craig Anderson. Conacher, an undrafted collegiate player, was terrific in the AHL last season where he was the AHL MVP as Norfolk won the Calder Cup. He will fit in with a young Ottawa club that has blossomed under head coach Paul MacLean and in fact steps into a lineup as the leading scorer with 24 points.

Tampa Bay Lightning

It initially seemed as though Tampa GM Steve Yzerman had given up a lot to bring in 6-foot-7 netminder Bishop with Conacher going with a fourth-round pick. But the Lightning need to stabilize their goaltending situation (they rank 21st in goals allowed per game) and Bishop was terrific for the Senators in a limited role, going 8-5 with a .922 save percentage. The Bolts were also dealing from a position of strength, having top young collegiate players Matt Peca and big center Alex Killorn, who has impressed in recent games with the big club. Now, last summer we were saying the same thing about the Lightning as they acquired Anders Lindback from Nashville in the hopes of finding a new No. 1. Will Bishop be any better? The Lightning paid a steep price to find out. But if Yzerman is right this time, the expense will have been worth it.

Buffalo Sabres

GM Darcy Regier might not be able to ice a winning hockey team but he sure knows how to handle himself on trade deadline day. A year ago he obtained Cody Hodgson and a first-round draft pick in various deals. This year he dealt captain Pominville to Minnesota for a top forward prospect in Larsson and a promising young goaltender in Hackett and another first-round pick in this June’s draft, along with a second round pick in 2014. Earlier, he had shipped veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr to Los Angeles for a pair of second-round picks. Will Regier be around next season to see what some of these assets might become? That’s a completely different story.

Washington Capitals

You can argue the rationale of keeping Mike Ribeiro, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but given the Caps’ recent surge -- they were just two points out of the Southeast Division lead with two games in hand on Winnipeg as of Wednesday afternoon -- GM George McPhee showed his team the organization is all in for the playoffs. McPhee gave up a top prospect in Filip Forsberg, selected 11th overall in last June’s draft, for proven scorer Martin Erat of the Nashville Predators. Although Erat has just four goals this season, he will play in a much more offensive system with more skilled players and it’s easy to imagine he will play an important role, not just in getting the Caps into the playoffs for a sixth straight year but in perhaps making some noise once they get there. Beyond that, Erat has two years left on his deal at a $4.5 million cap hit (the actual dollar amount is less) and so provides some form of protection if the Caps cannot re-sign Ribeiro, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Now, Ribeiro is a center and Erat is a winger but still, having talent under contract is never -- or at least not usually -- a bad thing. The Caps also acquired Michael Latta, a center playing at the AHL level.

Not everyone wanted to make a deal although any GM worth his salt was working the phones until the last minute. Here are some teams that were either unusually quiet or failed to plug in some obvious holes in their lineup.

Not so much

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets once looked like they were going to put a stranglehold on the Southeast Division lead; instead, they have unraveled and look very much like every other Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets team in that they are not built for the postseason. And while GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has promised from the start to be conservative in how they build this team, some sort of addition aimed at arresting their current slide might have been psychologically beneficial to the prairie team. It didn’t happen, as the Jets’ only move was to pick up Mike Santorelli off waivers from the Florida Panthers.

Vancouver Canucks

Yes, the Canucks did address their need down the middle by nabbing Derek Roy from Dallas, although Roy has not had the greatest year thus far. But the fact that GM Mike Gillis could not unload netminder Roberto Luongo will continue to be a cloud over the team until he is finally traded. Luongo reacted emotionally to not being traded, telling reporters in Vancouver his contract “sucks” and that if he could, he would tear it up. Now, maybe things settle back down for the Canucks and they proceed to the playoffs as planned. But there’s no doubt Luongo is in a different frame of mind now that the deadline has passed than before, and whether that has an impact on the psyche of the team remains to be seen.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs added 6-foot-5 defenseman Ryan O’Byrne from Colorado for a fourth-round pick in 2014 but they did not add a veteran goaltender. Will it matter? We’ll find out in less than a month, assuming the Leafs don’t go completely sideways and miss the playoffs entirely. We don’t expect that to happen, but the tandem of James Reimer and Ben Scrivens is untested when it comes to playoff action, and given the mediocrity in the Eastern Conference, it’s not unreasonable to suggest the Leafs could be in a position to win at least one round. If the goaltending holds up, of course.

New York Islanders

On the verge of making the playoffs for only the second time since the last lockout, the Islanders were silent on trade deadline day. Credit GM Garth Snow for not trading Mark Streit, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but wasn’t there something this team needed that Snow could have provided in terms of depth?

Boston Bruins

A little unfair to put the Bruins in this list perhaps, but after obtaining Jaromir Jagr on Tuesday, GM Peter Chiarelli did not add the grit and sand many expected he would bring in to his forward corps. And while he did add Wade Redden, reuniting Redden with former Ottawa teammate and B's captain Zdeno Chara, Redden is mindful of Tomas Kaberle, whom the Bruins added in 2011. The Bruins, of course, won the Cup. But Kaberle became less and less a factor as time went on during those playoffs. Redden, buried in the depth chart in St. Louis, especially after the acquisition Tuesday of Jay Bouwmeester, will be well down the Bruins’ depth chart, especially when there had been earlier talk the Bruins were looking to add Ryan Whitney. The lack of a gritty forward was exacerbated with the news Wednesday that Patrice Bergeron has a concussion.

Nashville Predators

A year ago, the Predators were among the busiest teams at the trade deadline, adding Paul Gaustad, Hal Gill and Andrei Kostitsyn along with repatriating Alexander Radulov. This season, they traded one of their top offensive players in Martin Erat to Washington and defenseman Scott Hannan to San Jose. Now, GM David Poile did get one of the Caps’ top prospects back, Filip Forsberg, who was selected 11th overall in 2012, but the Preds’ strategy illustrates just how quickly things can turn in the NHL, just how quickly one can go from buyer with Stanley Cup dreams to seller with different visions, at least in the short-term.

Philadelphia Flyers

This has been the season from hell for the Flyers vis-a-vis injuries, and so the expectations for GM Paul Holmgren at the deadline were modest. Still, the deal that saw the Flyers acquire former rookie of the year Steve Mason from Columbus for Michael Leighton and a third-round draft pick suggests more goaltending mayhem is ahead in Philly. Mason had been eclipsed by Sergei Bobrovsky, ironically a former Flyer netminder sent to Columbus last offseason, and can become a restricted free agent this summer. Perhaps this is a chance for the Flyers to see if Mason can regain his form and then try to sign him this summer while buying out Ilya Bryzgalov. Either way, it is a move that reflects continued uncertainty at the game’s most important position in one of the league’s most established markets.

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USA TODAY / And the trade deadline season winner is ...

By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports8:43p.m. EDT April 3, 2013

USA TODAY Sports hockey columnist Kevin Allen offers his take on the 10 teams that have done the most during the trading season to improve their teams for the stretch run:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins: General manager Ray Shero picked up Jussi Jokinen on deadline day, but that ranked fourth among his recent trades. The Penguins showed they are "all-in" on trying to win the Stanley Cup by acquiring Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla to add grit and goals and Douglas Murray to be a physical presence on defense.

With Sidney Crosby injured, Jokinen probably will start as the center between Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis.

Although the Penguins gave up a first-round pick and two seconds in their deals, they retained all of their most coveted prospects.

2. Boston Bruins: After losing out on the Morrow and Iginla sweepstakes, the Bruins made a big move by landing Jaromir Jagr, who has had better offensive production this season than either of those two.

Bruins players are excited about having Jagr on the roster. He's the kind of pure scorer the team needed.

The addition of Wade Redden as a defensive insurance policy also helps.

ANALYSIS: Two months of trades

3. Minnesota Wild: Since last summer, owner Craig Leipold has made it clear he wants to win immediately. Last summer he committed $196 million over 13 years to land Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, and on trade deadline day, the Wild added Jason Pominville, a $5.3 million player.

Pominville gives the team another proven scorer to help it measure up to the offensive might of the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks.

The Wild had to pay a big price, giving up a first- and a second-round pick, plus two prospects (goalie Matt Hackett and forward Johan Larsson).

4. Vancouver Canucks: With no premium centers available in the marketplace, the Canucks secured the best one when they acquired Derek Roy for a second-round pick and a prospect.

He could play on the second line with Ryan Kesler moving to the wing. Or, Roy could center the third line with Jannik Hansen and Chris Higgins. He fills a void on the team that has been there since the team traded Cody Hodgson.

5. Washington Capitals: After a horrendous start, the Capitals are 6-3-1 in their last 10 and are three points out of a playoff spot.

WHO MOVED: The deadline day deals

They made it clear the future is now by giving up key prospect Filip Forsberg to land Nashville Predators veteran Martin Erat, a consistent 50-plus point producer.

Erat is a skilled play-making winger and a dangerous offensive contributor. The negative is that he disappears at times. But he will be surrounded by more offensive talent in Washington, and the Capitals' hope is that he upgrades their top six forwards.

This is not a rental player. After this season, Erat has two seasons left on a contract paying him $4.5 million a season

6. Columbus Blue Jackets: The symbolism of the trade for Marian Gaborik is probably as important as the fact that he makes the team's offense more dangerous.

Gaborik is a warp-speed winger who has scored 40 or more goals three times in his career. The message to Columbus fans is that the Blue Jackets' management believes this team can compete while it builds.

Gaborik hasn't been at his best this season, but it's generally held that much of his struggles stem from the friction he has with coach John Tortorella.

7. St. Louis Blues: GM Doug Armstrong wanted an experienced defenseman to add to his top four, and he found it in Jay Bouwmeester. He is both a short-term and long-term solution. Coach Ken Hitchcock will play him in all situations.

The Blues also added Jordan Leopold, a puck-moving defenseman who can help the team's power play and transition game.

8. Ottawa Senators: By acquiring rookie Cory Conacher (nine goals, 24 points) in the Ben Bishop trade, general manager Bryan Murray has added a player who has better offensive numbers than anyone on his team.

Conacher can help now and in the future, plus the Senators get a fourth-round pick.

9. Tampa Bay Lightning: With Bishop joining Anders Lindback, GM Steve Yzerman can be reasonably confident that at least one will emerge as legitimate No. 1.

Based on this season, Bishop might have the edge. Five or six teams interested in him on Wednesday. He's 6-7 and he's a very confident puck-stopper.

10. San Jose Sharks: If you look at what GM Doug Wilson did collectively, he gave up Ryane Clowe and Douglas Murray and filled those holes with Raffi Torres and Scott Hannan. He gained two second-round picks from Pittsburgh, and second-, a third, and a conditional second-round pick for Clowe. He gave up a third for Torres and a conditional sixth for Hannan.

Adding to Torres' value: He has had a better offensive season than Clowe, who scored his first goal on Wednesday night. Hannan can play a similar style to Murray.

Honorable mention: New York Rangers. The trade of Gaborik gained them Derek Dorsett, a feisty winger who plays with heart and character, plus center Derick Brassard and smooth-skating defenseman John Moore.

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USA TODAY / Rangers deal slumping star Marian Gaborik to Blue Jackets

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports8:10p.m. EDT April 3, 2013

Marian Gaborik concedes that if he had been asked a year ago to waive his no-trade clause to accept a move to the Columbus Blue Jackets, he likely would have vetoed the deal.

But he appreciated the changes the Blue Jackets have made enough that he gave consent on Wednesday to a deal that sent him from the New York Rangers to Columbus for center Derick Brassard, tough forward Derek Dorsett and fleet-footed defenseman John Moore and a sixth-round pick. The Blue Jackets also receive prospect defensemen Blake Parlett and Steve Delisle.

"The team has shown it is going in the right direction," said Gaborik, who talked to team president John Davidson and Columbus player and fellow Slovak Vinny Prospal before making his decision.

The Gaborik trade was one of 17 deals, involving 30 players, made before Wednesday's 3 p.m deadline Last season, there were 16 trades involving 32 players. The league's trade deadline day record is 31 trades set in 2009-10.

NHL: Trade Deadline Moves

Last summer, the Blue Jackets made a major deal by shipping the team's No. 1 star Rick Nash to the Rangers. On Wednesday, they made a deal with the Rangers that would seem to be informing fans that they believe they can make the playoffs while they build into a contender.

"I talked to Vinny and he only had good things to say about the team, the city and the organization," Gaborik said.

The Blue Jackets have made the playoffs once in franchise history, but the arrival of Davidson has added some positive energy. He fired Scott Howson as general manager and hired Jarmo Kekalainen, and the trade deadline move was designed to be an encouraging sign for Columbus fans.

Kelalainen said the plan was to add without compromising the team's future and he feels as if he did that in adding Gaborik, who has scored 40 or more goals three times.

"We wanted to give our team a boost," Kekalainen said. "And Marian is going to do that now and in the future."

Gaborik is 31 and he has another season left on a contract paying him $7.5 million per season. Presuming he delivers as expected, the Blue Jackets seem to intend to re-sign him after next season.

NHL: Deadline Winner

The reason he is available is because he clearly wasn't coach John Tortorella's favorite player and his offensive production was down this season. He had nine goals in 35 games. In 2011-12, he had 41 goals.

"Everyone goes through slumps," Kekalainen said. "We feel he's still at the top of his game."

Kekalainen said Gaborik's speed and one-on-one skill would significantly upgrade Columbus' offense.

Gaborik said his relationship with Tortorella wasn't quite as bad as it was portrayed by the news media.

"It's true that sometimes we didn't see eye to eye, but that's hockey," Gaborik said. "Everybody goes through something like that with their coaches."

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USA TODAY / Things to know about Wednesday's NHL games

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports12:32p.m. EDT April 3, 2013

Things to know about Wednesday's NHL games:

-The Pittsburgh Penguins attempt to start a new streak when they visit the New York Rangers. This could have been the day that they tied the NHL mark of 17 consecutive wins, but the Buffalo Sabres halted that streak, 4-1, on Tuesday. The Penguins do have a streak against the Rangers, winning the last six meetings. Ryane Clowe will make his Rangers debut. "I put a lot of thought into coming here and I thought it would be a really good fit here," he told reporters on Wednesday.

-New arrival defenseman Davis Drewiske was on the ice for the Montreal Canadiens and is expected to make his debut against the Philadelphia Flyers. He was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

MORE: Wednesday's NHL scoreboard

-The biggest question heading into the Battle of Alberta was whether Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff would be with the team against the Edmonton Oilers. TSN reported on Wednesday that he was staying in Calgary and would retire at the end of the season.

-The San Jose Sharks, facing the Minnesota Wild, have won five in a row to move into a playoff position. The Wild have gone 8-2 to grab the Northwest Division lead. Former Shark Devin Setoguchi has seven goals and 10 points in his last 11 games.

-Tough guy Lane MacDermid will be with the Dallas Stars when they visit the Anaheim Ducks. He was acquired from the Boston Bruins in the Jaromir Jagr trade. The Stars also shipped out Derek Roy and Brenden Morrow recently, but general manager Joe Nieuwendyk is still holding out hope for a playoff spot.

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USA TODAY / Trade deadline: Pominville, Gaborik move

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports5:18p.m. EDT April 3, 2013

The NHL trade deadline day ended with Marian Gaborik going to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jason Pominville joining the Minnesota Wild and the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning filling needs in a player-for-player swap. How the day went down:

TRACKER: Analysis of the moves

5 p.m.: The final trade

The Nashville Predators send Martin Erat and minor league Michael Latta to the Washington Capitals for 2012 first-round pick Filip Forsberg.

4:30 p.m.: Awaiting Capitals trade

General manager George McPhee was supposed to meet the media at 3:30 about a trade. We're still waiting for the trade call to be completed and the players to be informed.

4:20 p.m.: Pominville particulars

The Jason Pominville to Minnesota Wild deal would send goalie Matt Hackett, forward Johan Larsson, a 2013 first-round pick and a 2014 second-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres. The Wild gets the Sabres' fourth-round pick in 2014.

Tweets from @USATODAYsports/usa-today-sports-nhl

3:35 p.m.: Coyotes part with two

Matthew Lombardi was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Brandon McMillan, who has 91 games of NHL experience. The New Jersey Devils gave up a seventh-round pick to get Steve Sullivan.

3:30 p.m.: Luongo speaks

Interviewed about not getting traded, Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo said: "My contract sucks. That's what the problem is." That is why Luongo is always a media favorite. He never hides, always faces the music. He always answers questions. He has always been a class act.

3:29 p.m.: Bruins add defenseman

Wade Redden was traded from St. Louis to Boston. GM Peter Chiarelli knows Redden from their days together in Ottawa.

3:25 p.m.: Leafs add defenseman

The Toronto Maple Leafs gave up a fourth-round pick to get defenseman Ryan O'Byrne from the Colorado Avalanche. Solid depth addition.

3:09 p.m.: Luongo stays put

Here's what we know: Roberto Luongo wasn't traded. The Chicago Blackhawks made only a minor-league deal, and the Detroit Red Wings made no deal. ESPN's Pierre Lebrun reports that the Montreal Canadiens didn't make a deal. TSN reports that Winnipeg made no deal, though the Jets did pick up Mike Santorelli off waivers. Frankly, the Canucks will get more by trading Luongo next summer.

3:03 p.m.: Sharks land Raffi Torres

The San Jose Sharks replace the grit lost with the trading of Ryane Clowe by acquiring Raffi Torres from the Phoenix Coyotes for a third-round pick.

3 p.m.: Deadline passes, but stay tuned

The NHL trade deadline has officially passed, but there apparently still are fireworks to come. Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo was just pulled off the ice. Usually, there are a handful of trades reported late because it takes time to register them with the league.

2:58 p.m.: Sabres captain on the move

Still awaiting the details, but Buffalo has traded its captain Jason Pominville to the Minnesota Wild. He is the third captain to be moved in this trade deadline season, following Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Dallas' Brenden Morrow. This is a big move for the Wild, sending a message to fans that they believe they are in contention for a Stanley Cup. Although the team has performed well, the Wild still need scoring and Pominville will help.

2:50 p.m.: Gaborik dealt to Blue Jackets

The Marian Gaborik-to-Columbus deal certainly gives sportswriters something to write about. The Rangers receive Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard and John Moore and the Blue Jackets get the speedster Gaborik. The Blue Jackets receive a proven goal scorer, a true star to sell to fans. The Rangers get the feisty forward Dorsett, who should instantly become one of coach John Tortorella's favorites, plus a younger forward in Brassard and developing defenseman in Moore who is an exceptional skater. Gaborik had to waive a no-trade clause to make this deal happen.

2:30 p.m.: Steve Mason heads to Flyers

A run on goalies. The Philadelphia Flyers, according to RDS, have acquired Steve Mason from the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is not a big gamble for the Flyers because Mason will be a restricted free agent this summer. He will be auditioning to see with the team next season. If they don't like what they see from him, they can cut him loose this summer. He is a former NHL rookie of the year who hasn't played well since his first NHL season.