Grading 5 significant deadline-day deals

The winners and losers of the trade deadline aren't truly known until the Stanley Cup is raised in June. Sometimes they can't be determined until years down the line, once acquired draft picks have a name to their number.

But that doesn't mean we can't grade the top trades in the here and now. With that in mind, here are report cards for five of Wednesday's biggest deals:

Thomas Vanek

The Detroit Red Wings began selling early, moving defenseman Brendan Smith to the New York Rangers on Tuesday. A day later, they sent Vanek to the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers looked to add offense in Vanek, a pending unrestricted free agent. While he could re-sign with the Red Wings in the summer, his 38 points bring Florida some extra scoring punch in the interim. Vanek came at a relatively cheap price, as the Panthers parted with a third-rounder.

Detroit's grade: C

Florida's grade: B

Jarome Iginla

Iginla will get a shot at his first Stanley Cup following a trade to the Los Angeles Kings. The 39-year-old escapes the last-place Colorado Avalanche and believes the Kings are a contender to win their third championship since 2012. But first, the Kings must lock down a playoff spot.

Los Angeles sits one point outside of the postseason, largely due to the team's inability to score. That makes acquiring Iginla and his eight goals a curious move. Still, the Kings got the veteran winger on the cheap for a conditional pick, while Colorado did Iginla a solid by picking up half of his contract.

Colorado's grade: C

Los Angeles' grade: C

Curtis Lazar

Lazar's wish for a fresh start was granted by the Calgary Flames, who traded the Ottawa Senators a second-rounder for him. The former first-round pick has had a disastrous season in the Canadian capital, registering just one point.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving believes Lazar is a good match with his team's young core. Alberta is familiar territory for Lazar, who spent his junior years with the Edmonton Oil Kings and led the squad to the Memorial Cup in 2014.

Ottawa's grade: A

Calgary's grade: D

Mark Streit (to Penguins)

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed out on Kevin Shattenkirk and, left to explore other options for a puck-moving defender, ultimately landed on Streit. The defending champions swooped in to add him from the Tampa Bay Lightning after he was first acquired from the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Streit is a savvy pickup for the Penguins, as the 39-year-old blue-liner is still performing at a high level, with 21 points on the season. Pittsburgh parted with a fourth-round pick in 2018 to bring in Streit.

Tampa Bay's grade: A

Pittsburgh's grade: B

Valtteri Filppula

After reportedly turning down a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Filppula agreed to a move to the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal that brought Streit to Tampa Bay, only for the club to flip him to the Penguins moments later.

The move continued a sell-off for the Lightning, who already moved out netminder Ben Bishop and center Brian Boyle. Shedding Filppula's contract lessens the expansion-draft headache for GM Steve Yzerman, who would have been required to protect Filppula and his no-trade clause from the Vegas Golden Knights.

Tampa Bay's grade: C

Philadelphia's grade: B

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