NHL Trade Deadline Wrap: Blackhawks Come out Looking Like Stanley Cup Favourites

What would be a trade deadline without someone who has never played the game immediately judging deals that will affect teams for weeks, months and sometimes years?

Well, it would be great, but until then, it's time to look at winners and losers less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the trade deadline!

For the purposes of this analysis, we'll look at deals from Feb. 21 forward. If it makes you feel better, the Dion Phaneuf trade was fantastic for the Toronto Maple Leafs and a bad one for the Ottawa Senators.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs

Assets acquired: D Connor Carrick, F Brooks Laich, G Alex Stalock, F Ben Smith, F Raffi Torres, F Colin Smith, second-round pick in 2016, second-round pick in 2017, second-round pick in 2018, fourth-round pick in 2016, fourth-round pick in 2018

Assets traded: F Daniel Winnik, G James Reimer, F Jeremy Morin, F Nick Spaling, D Roman Polak, fifth-round pick in 2016

Seconds, please: The Leafs gutted their house when they dealt Phaneuf; the next three weeks were simply a yard sale. They grabbed three second-round picks and Carrick, which isn't too bad when you were just leaving old lamps and toasters in front of your house. This tank is unstoppable now and will almost definitely accomplish the goal of a 30th-place finish.

4. Florida Panthers

Assets acquired: F Teddy Purcell, F Jiri Hudler, D Jakub Kindl, a sixth-round pick in 2016

Assets traded: F Brandon Pirri, second-round pick in 2016, third-round pick in 2016, fourth-round pick in 2018, sixth-round pick in 2017

Deep thoughts: The Panthers' PDO (102.0) screams a collapse is coming, so credit general manager Dale Tallon for doing his job and fortifying a team that would like to give its fans (and owners) a few home playoff games in 2016. The price was minimal, although it is perplexing to be in "go for it" mode and then deal Pirri for practically nothing. Yeah, he's a pending RFA, but you're pushing for a division title.

3. Chicago Blackhawks

Assets acquired: F Andrew Ladd, F Tomas Fleischmann, F Dale Weise, D Christian Ehrhoff, D Matt Fraser, D Jay Harrison

Assets traded: F Phillip Danault, F Marko Dano, D Rob Scuderi, first-round pick in 2016, second-round pick in 2018, conditional third-round pick in 2018

All-in: GM Stan Bowman grossly overpaid to improve his team, but it's OK to do that when your team is now the Stanley Cup favourite. It's also possible that because of giving up an arm, leg and vital organs for a 34-point forward, he threw the market so out of whack that other contenders like St. Louis, Anaheim and Los Angeles could do very little or nothing at all on deadline day.

2. N.Y. Rangers

Assets acquired: F Eric Staal

Assets traded: F Aleksi Saarela, second-round picks in 2016, second-round pick in 2017

The missing piece: Staal may not be what he once was but he's a huge upgrade for the Rangers, whether he's playing center or the wing. Unlike in years past, when the Rangers traded first-round picks for Martin St. Louis and Keith Yandle, they only relinquished second rounders. If the Rangers make noise—or get past mighty Washington—Staal will have a big part in it.

1. Calgary Flames

Assets acquired: D Jyrki Jokipakka, F Brett Pollock, F Hunter Shinkaruk, G Niklas Backstrom, conditional second-round pick in 2016, second-round pick in 2016, sixth-round pick in 2016, fourth-round pick in 2018

Assets traded: D Kris Russell, F Jiri Hudler, F Markus Granlund, F David Jones

The quiet tank: Sure, Toronto is icing an AHL team the rest of the way, but the Flames are making a quiet push for lottery balls, too. Getting a potential first rounder for Russell alone makes this a great deadline for Calgary but getting a 2013 first rounder (Shinkaruk) and a second rounder makes this quite the haul. The Flames were the flukiest fluke to ever fluke in 2014-15 so it should make fans happy to see them dealing veterans this season.

5. Colorado Avalanche

Assets acquired: F Mikkel Boedker, D Eric Gelinas, F Shawn Matthias

Assets traded: F Alex Tanguay, F Conner Bleackley, D Kyle Wood, F Colin Smith, fourth-round pick in 2016

What's the point?: Boedker isn't even a definite upgrade over Tanguay; yes, he's faster and younger, but most of his production is on the power play while Tanguay is more productive at 5-on-5. A third rounder for Gelinas, who is a mess now but could be useful down the road, isn't exactly the help on the back end Colorado needs for a playoff push. It's hard to understand the overall thinking the Avs front office had at this year's deadline.

4. San Jose Sharks

Assets acquired: G James Reimer, F Jeremy Morin, D Roman Polak, F Nick Spaling

Assets traded: G Alex Stalock, F Ben Smith, F Raffi Torres, second-round pick in 2017, second-round pick in 2018, conditional fourth-round pick in 2018

A lot for a little: Remember when GM Doug Wilson was about rebuilding? Or refreshing? Or re-setting? Or refreshing and re-setting? Whatever the PR term, the Sharks were a team looking to turn over the roster. One good half-season later, and now the Sharks are spitting away second rounders for bottom-end skaters. If these were moves made by Stanley Cup contenders, they'd make a lot of sense. But this was a lot to give away just to lose in a more-dignified fashion to Anaheim or Los Angeles.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

Assets acquired: None

Assets traded: None

Huh?: The Lightning, a team that fell two wins shy of a Stanley Cup last year, failed to fetch anything for the disgruntled Jonathan Drouin. Depending on what Steven Stamkos decides in July, this could be a window slamming shut next season, so why not get whatever you can for Drouin now, even if it's not much? And if the right deal for Drouin wasn't there… no deals were there for anyone? Dealing Drouin after the season may fetch more assets but he could have been the difference between falling just short again and winning a championship in 2016.

2. Dallas Stars

Assets acquired: D Kris Russell

Assets traded: D Jyrki Jokipakka, F Brett Pollock, conditional second-round pick (could be a first rounder)

Is this an upgrade?: The Stars have two goaltenders below .910 in save percentage, so the options were clear: greatly upgrade the defence or go with what's already there. Russell is a minimal upgrade at best and is hardly worth a possible first-round pick, never mind that and two more players. Improving the team in front of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen was the Stars' only play here but if the only move available to them was Russell, standing pat was a better option.

1. Vancouver Canucks

Assets acquired: None

Assets traded: None

WTF: The writing is on the wall. The Canucks are eight points out of a playoff spot with a minus-27 goal-differential. Dan Hamhuis and Radim Vrbata, two pending UFAs in their mid-30s, remain on the roster. Hamhuis reportedly had a limited number of teams to which he would accept a trade, but come on. Get something for him. Get something for Vrbata. The first part of a rebuild is dumping your aging UFAs for anything and GM Jim Benning got nothing. You can't make the Michael Corleone "nothing" offer unless you're in a position of power and the Canucks are a sinking ship.