The 2023 NHL trade season had it all: Contenders such as the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils loaded up.
Star players were on the move, such as Patrick Kane, Ryan O'Reilly, Timo Meier and Jakob Chychrun.
There was lots of angst on social media among fans for trades that came together, or didn't.
Unfortunately, much of it occurred in the days and weeks leading up to Deadline Day -- which left not too much to get excited about in the final stretch on Friday.
Nevertheless, ESPN's Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski have identified winners and losers of the trade deadline, including a wide range of players, teams and one former coach.
Winner: Boston Bruins
The Bruins are the fastest team in NHL history to amass 100 points in a season. They're the best defensive team and second-best offensive team in the league, a veritable steamroller that could flatten everyone on their way to the Stanley Cup. So what did they do? They got better.
The "Dmitry Orr-lov" jokes have been flying since the Bruins acquired Dmitry Orlov from the Washington Capitals, giving them a physical veteran puck mover who is already making a difference. Arriving with him was Garnet Hathaway, a banger for the bottom six whom other teams had coveted. Not content with that -- and after losing Taylor Hall to injury on left wing -- Boston acquired Tyler Bertuzzi from the Red Wings, which just adds another playmaker to the mix.
The Bruins' moment is now, and they're not going to squander it. But that doesn't mean they can't think about the future, too: The Bruins ended the drama and signed star winger David Pastrnak to an eight-year contract extension worth $11.25 million annually. The hometown discounts might be over in Boston, but there's now a clear path ahead after the Patrice Bergeron Era ends. -- Wyshynski
Loser: Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't getting any younger. No, seriously.
Pittsburgh was already the NHL's oldest team before Friday's deadline. Then GM Ron Hextall targeted Mikael Granlund (31), Dmitry Kulikov (32) and Nick Bonino (34) to boost the Penguins' precarious hopes for a long playoff run.
Weird.