Erik Karlsson didn't go anywhere, but there were still a few major moves on this trade deadline day.
A quick flurry of midday activity and then a typically timed barrage of transactions around the 3 p.m. ET buzzer punctuated the day, but some teams made out much better than others.
Here's a look at which clubs excelled and which ones faltered on the day of the NHL's trade deadline in 2018:
Winners
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets made a move no one saw coming (how often does a team beat the insiders to the punch for a significant swap on deadline day?), landing Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues. His acquisition turns one of the best top-nine groups in the league into arguably the NHL's deepest.
Sure, Stastny is a pending unrestricted free agent, and Winnipeg gave up a couple of conditional picks (including a first-rounder) as well as college forward Erik Foley to get him, but it's a worthwhile gamble, given Stastny's passing ability and faceoff prowess.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff deserves credit for capitalizing on the Blues' losing streak that reportedly put the plan to trade the center in motion, and Winnipeg will only be on the hook for 50 percent of the strong two-way player's $7-million salary.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steve Yzerman didn't get Karlsson, but he landed quite the consolation prize in Ryan McDonagh - as well as talented winger J.T. Miller - in a blockbuster trade with the New York Rangers.
The Lightning GM certainly paid a price for the duo, but didn't have to give up as much as he could have, considering the two impact players he got in return, and also considering the package he would have had to part with if he'd pulled the trigger on a deal for Karlsson.
Tampa Bay ultimately bolstered its roster for a potential Stanley Cup run with two key pieces while parting with two picks, two less-than-elite prospects, and Vladislav Namestnikov, who has 20 goals this season for the first time in his career, and who benefited from playing alongside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov.
Miller and Namestnikov aren't too far apart in terms of skill, but landing both McDonagh and Miller was clearly going to cost the Lightning, and this move was certainly smarter for Yzerman than giving up multiple first-rounders, a better prospect, and the likes of Mikhail Sergachev and/or Brayden Point for Karlsson.
Detroit Red Wings
Yes, the Red Wings could have jettisoned Mike Green, but GM Ken Holland made up for that in spades by dealing Tomas Tatar to the Vegas Golden Knights for three picks - a first-, a second-, and a third-rounder.
Tatar's a skilled scorer who will no doubt boost the Golden Knights' offensive attack, but that's a huge return for a player who, despite some moderately productive seasons, has never topped 29 goals and who is still on the books for three more seasons at a cap hit of $5.3 million.
Losers
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres succeeded in trading Evander Kane before the deadline, but that's hardly an accomplishment worth lauding considering the disappointing return in the deal.
Buffalo only managed to get a conditional 2019 first-round pick (which reportedly drops to a second-rounder if the pending UFA walks in free agency), a 2020 fourth-rounder, and 24-year-old prospect Daniel O'Regan.
Just how bad was this for the Sabres? To put it in perspective, the Chicago Blackhawks essentially got more for Ryan Hartman and a fifth-round selection (a first-round pick, a fourth-rounder, and prospect Victor Ejdsell) than the Sabres received for Evander Kane.
Vancouver Canucks
Jim Benning didn't get enough for Thomas Vanek, plain and simple.
The Canucks GM failed to land a draft pick in his deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who, settling on journeyman forward Jussi Jokinen and prospect Tyler Motte.
“We wanted to get picks back for Vanek but they weren’t available to us so we did the next best thing by getting a young forward that our scouts like.” - Benning
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 26, 2018
Benning's hands were tied to a degree at the deadline with the Sedins opting to play out the remainder of the season before deciding on their respective futures, but to not land a single pick in either the Vanek deal or the Brendan Leipsic-Philip Holm exchange with the Golden Knights should be seen as a failure.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have had major trouble scoring (only the Sabres and the Arizona Coyotes have fewer goals per game this season), and they didn't do enough to address that Monday, settling for Vanek, the 34-year-old deadline-day staple who potted 17 goals in 61 games playing with the Sedins.
Jarmo Kekalainen, the Blue Jackets' GM, also grabbed Mark Letestu from the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, but neither move is likely going to move the needle enough on the offensive end, but considering some of the better scoring forwards that were available, Columbus should have landed one of them.
To be determined ....
New York Rangers
The jury is still out on the Rangers' haul in the deal that sent McDonagh and Miller to the Lightning, but it doesn't look too favorable.
One NHL team exec on Rangers return for Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller:
— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) February 26, 2018
"Howden is a grinder, Hajek a marginal prospect - not sure he's even a callup. That's not enough return for McDonagh much less putting JT Miller in the deal"
Vladislav Namestnikov is 25, shooting 16 percent on an insanely talented team and is having a career year. I really don’t know about that return. He’s a worse player than Miller.
— Patrick Kearns (@PatrickKearns) February 26, 2018
While the Rangers could have done better, they certainly could have made out worse by comparison.
Just wrote the trade grade for the NY Rangers' McDonagh deal. I've been in awe of some of the returns today, so maybe I should be surprised by how well they did but ... holy crap did they do well. #TradeCentre
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 26, 2018
We'll need much more time to fully evaluate this one from the Rangers' perspective, but it's a haul that will clearly continue to stir debate.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
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