Trade deadline winners and losers: Preds address needs, Flames whiff

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, let's look at the winners and losers from a busy day in the NHL.

Winners

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights landed the top trade chip available in Mark Stone, and the two sides already agreed to terms on an eight-year extension.

The price was more than fair for general manager George McPhee, as he only gave up one key prospect, a depth player, and a second-round pick. Vegas will likely go on the road to face either the San Jose Sharks or Calgary Flames in a tough first-round matchup, so without the extension, this trade would look vastly different.

All indications suggest Erik Brannstrom, the top prospect heading to Ottawa, has the potential to be a special player. But Stone, 26, can help Vegas contend for a Stanley Cup this season and beyond. He's a dynamic point-per-game winger, and also one of the top defensive forwards in the game, as evidenced by his league-high 88 takeaways. - Wegman

Columbus Blue Jackets

Over the last three days, the Blue Jackets acquired Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid, and Keith Kinkaid. While the team's draft-pick cupboard is now bare, the only player from the active roster lost in the process was Anthony Duclair, who was becoming a permanent resident in John Tortorella's doghouse.

Duchene, and to a lesser extent, Dzingel, give Columbus a formidable top-nine forward group. McQuaid provides the Jackets with grit, experience, and a right-handed shot on the bottom pairing, while Kinkaid fills a need as a backup goalie. With the Metropolitan Division more wide open than it's ever been, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen picked the right time to go for it all. - Wegman

Nashville Predators

It was obvious what Predators GM David Poile needed to do during the lead-up to the trade deadline. With his defense and goaltending tandem requiring little to no fixing, upgrading the club’s top-heavy forward group became the focus.

Although Vegas ultimately won the grand prize of Mark Stone, Poile managed to acquire two second-tier talents in Minnesota’s Mikael Granlund and Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds. Exchanging just Ryan Hartman, Kevin Fiala, and a conditional fourth-round pick for two sure bets is some crafty work. Granlund is signed through 2019-20, and Simmonds is a pending free agent. Neither is guaranteed to stick long term, but that’s a lesser concern for a contending team.

Suddenly, Nashville’s dominant top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson has some serious company, and the Western Conference better watch out. - Matisz

Losers

Calgary Flames

The Flames’ lack of cap space killed them this trade period, forcing GM Brad Treliving to watch as rival clubs, particularly within the conference, bulked up significantly. A deal to acquire the Wild's Jason Zucker fell through, which also didn't help matters.

Oscar Fantenberg, from the Kings, ended up being Calgary's lone add. The 27-year-old is a decent defenseman, though his potential impact pales in comparison to that of Vegas’ Mark Stone, Nashville’s Wayne Simmonds and Mikael Granlund, Winnipeg’s Kevin Hayes, and San Jose’s Gustav Nyquist.

The Flames' post-deadline roster leaves much to be desired among the bottom-six forwards and goalies. Calgary needs to hope unexpected starting goalie David Rittich, who’s been a tremendous story this season, doesn’t turn into a pumpkin anytime soon. - Matisz

Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has developed a reputation for making big-time trades, sometimes around the deadline. During crunch time this year, however, he mainly stood on the sideline.

Rutherford made two low-key swaps, bringing in Erik Gudbranson from Vancouver for Tanner Pearson, and receiving Chris Wideman from Florida in exchange for Jean-Sebastian Dea. The Gudbranson move, while defensible given the state of Pittsburgh’s blue line, was a little weird because the incoming player isn't exactly a fit for the modern NHL. He's simply too slow to defend at a high level these days. Wideman for Dea, meanwhile, was essentially a minor-league transaction.

So now, this is the roster Rutherford - who, to be fair, made changes from November through January - has in place as Pittsburgh battles Carolina for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Let's face it: On paper, the Penguins don't have a championship-caliber squad. - Matisz

New York Islanders

The Islanders' biggest move ahead of the trade deadline was inking 37-year-old Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year contract. If that doesn't solidify their status as a deadline-day loser, then what does?

Sure, the Isles lead the Metropolitan Division, but the Washington Capitals trail them by just two points and made two notable additions, picking up Nick Jensen and Carl Hagelin. The Blue Jackets sit third in the division, but they made a bevy of moves to become contenders.

The Islanders had the necessary cap room and prospect capital to be big players on deadline day and add a much-needed injection of offense. Instead, Lou Lamoriello sat on his hands.

The cost for even a subtle addition up front, such as Wayne Simmonds or Marcus Johansson, was well within reach. - Wegman