NHL trade deadline winners and losers

The National Hockey League's trade deadline has come and gone, meaning it's time for knee-jerk assessments of the relatively light deluge of deals that were announced.

Here's a look at Monday's winners and losers.

Winners

Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin made a big splash early in the day, grabbing arguably the most valuable defenseman on the market in the form of Edmonton's Jeff Petry. 

As a bonus, he came at the relatively low cost of a second-round and a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2015.

Montreal also reinforced its forward depth by rescuing Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn from Buffalo.

In short, the Canadiens were able to add valuable pieces without giving up anything off the active roster, a fact that wasn't lost on the players.

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes went into full sell-mode prior to the deadline, possibly setting themselves up for a quicker-than-expected rebuild.

In dealing Keith Yandle to New York, they added a second-round pick at this year's draft, a first-round selection in 2016, a 2009 first-round pick in defenseman John Moore and promising prospect Anthony Duclair. 

They also shed Zbynek Michalek while adding another prospect in Max Letunov and a 2015 third-round pick from St. Louis.

After a previous deal with Chicago involving Antoine Vermette, the Coyotes now have four picks in the first two rounds of this season's draft, including what's likely to be a top-two selection of their own.

After some short-term pain, these dogs may be howling quite loudly sooner than later.

Anaheim Ducks

Bob Murray solidified his club's blue line by adding a trio of defensemen in James Wisniewski, Simon Despres and Korbinian Holzer, leaving the Ducks with an impressive top six.

Shipped out are William Karlsson, Rene Bourque, Ben Lovejoy, Eric Brewer and a pair of draft picks. They also resisted the temptation to deal Matt Beleskey and his 21 goals, even though he's set to become an unrestricted free agent.

Clearly, these Ducks are aiming to fly as high as possible this June.

Losers

Edmonton Oilers

Oilers GM Craig MacTavish held a highly coveted, puck-moving, right-handed defenseman in Petry. In return, he received markedly less than what  Philadelphia reeled in from Tampa Bay for an older Braydon Coburn - and less than what Chicago paid for veteran Kimmo Timonen, who hasn't played all season.

While the Oilers did add Pittsburgh's first-round pick earlier in the season, MacTavish proved unwilling to part with any of his team's core, young players (for the time being), confident that the future remains bright.

The Coyotes and Sabres may have managed to out-tank them, possibly cutting them off from a prime ticket in the McEichel Sweepstakes.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins kicked off the season by dealing Johnny Boychuk to Long Island, and have spent the majority of their first 62 games fighting to secure the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The reigning President's Trophy winners were believed to be interested in adding a top-line winger to play alongside David Krejci and Milan Lucic, with names like Chris Stewart, Cam Atkinson and Curtin Glencross floated as candidates.

Instead, the Bruins sent two second-round picks to Tampa Bay for winger in Brett Connolly, once highly touted but still unproven, and flipped 2009 first-round pick Jordan Caron to Colorado in exchange for the gritty Max Talbot.

They also decided not to add depth on defense or jettison players like Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille or Dennis Seidenberg, and held onto soon-to-be free agent Carl Soderberg in what was largely a seller's market.

Add it all up, and here's the gist of Boston's moves this season:

Two years removed from a Cup Final appearance, things aren't looking up for the cap-strapped Bruins.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks passed through the deadline seemingly unsure where they're headed.

Currently outside the playoff picture after finishing last season with 111 points (good for fifth overall), San Jose still appears rattled from a devastating playoff loss to rival Los Angeles last spring.

GM Doug Wilson didn't really add anything to boost his team's playoff chances, acquiring Ben Smith from Chicago while sending back Andrew Desjardins, and also parting ways with Tyler Kennedy.

He also wasn't able to kick-start a more complete rebuild by convincing the likes of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to waive their no-move clauses, and decided to hold on to Antti Niemi, a supposed No. 1 starter heading towards free agency.

The Sharks are really no closer to challenging for the Cup, nor do they appear primed for a successful retooling.