Crickets in Montreal.

The trade deadline came and went with little action from the Canadiens, who only played small ball on the day of wheeling and dealing.

Montreal added bottom-six winger Dwight King from Los Angeles, while also exchanging minor leaguers with the Colorado Avalanche, sending Sven Andrighetto to Denver for bulky winger Andreas Martinsen.

That came after the Canadiens dealt forward David Desharnais to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday in return for blue-liner Brandon Davidson. Hours later, they filled that vacancy up front by acquiring checking center Steve Ott from the Detroit Red Wings - a better fit in that role than Desharnais.

Davidson in particular was a curious addition, with Montreal already overflowing with low-tier defensemen - namely Nathan Beaulieu, in the midst of a breakout season, plus Nikita Nesterov and Jordie Benn, both recently brought in from the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars, respectively.

In all, the deadline passed with the Canadiens failing to address the bigger issues that have hampered them in recent weeks, as they've thrown away their 13-1-1 start to the season.

Talk that Montreal could bring in a big center to stabilize its middle ice - such as Colorado's Matt Duchene or Martin Hanzal, dealt from the Arizona Coyotes to the Minnesota Wild - ultimately ended as just talk.

Meanwhile, the biggest change seemingly came earlier this season when the Canadiens installed Claude Julien as their new coach. But his hiring hasn't fixed all that ails them.

Montreal wrapped up February with just five wins, with none coming in regulation - futility the club hasn't matched since 1940.

The team's scoring woes are certainly responsible for its sagging record. The Canadiens were shut out four times in February, and limited to a single tally on three other occasions.

It's no secret that Montreal is sliding, and the one-time favorite to win the Atlantic is now fighting for its playoff life. The Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs have all made up significant ground, as the Canadiens now sit just nine points ahead of the East's final playoff spot.

With 18 games remaining, the Canadiens will need to buildfrom within to right their soon-to-be-lost season, doing so without any difference-makers brought in for a boost.

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It was, in the end, all talk.

The NHL's trade deadline is in the books, and Marc-Andre Fleury is still a member of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. And considering Ben Bishop was the only goalie moved during a busy two-week stretch - and to a stealth buyer in Los Angeles - Fleury's status shouldn't really come as a surprise.

Signed through 2018-19 at $5.75 million - and with Matt Murray inked through 2019-20 at $3.75 million - Fleury's future will be a major topic of conversation once the season ends, as preparations for the expansion draft begin in earnest.

Here's what we know: Murray's the goalie of the future in Pittsburgh, the No. 1. But Fleury's going to play a big role down the stretch, as the Pens are set for 16 games over the next 31 days, including two back-to-backs (there's another one in April).

And who knows what will happen during the playoffs. But the Penguins can sleep a little easier at night, knowing they've got two guys who've backstopped the team to a Cup.

Fleury will be unprotected in the expansion draft, or dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights beforehand. In other words, enjoy these final few months, Pens fans. It's been real.

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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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Ken Holland has a plan to make the Detroit Red Wings great again.

With his club floundering in last place in the Atlantic Division, the general manager set out to collect assets ahead of the trade deadline, and for the most part, he did.

"For Sale" sign in hand, Holland got a conditional third-round pick for Thomas Vanek, a sixth-round pick for Steve Ott, second- and third-round picks for Brendan Smith, and another third-rounder for Tomas Jurco.

"I don't feel I left any crumbs on the table," Holland said, according to Dana Wakiji, who edits the Red Wings' website. "We got the very best offers we could."

Holland deserves props for facing reality - the Red Wings' remarkable 25-year streak of playing for the Stanley Cup is ending. And that means it's time for a new streak to begin, hopefully as soon as 2018.

"It starts at the draft table," Holland said. "Teams of (the) '90s and 2000s were born at the draft table."

Detroit's now got 11 picks going into the 2017 draft, including four in the third round and two in the sixth.

"With 11 picks, you'd like to wake up and have three regular NHL players. If really lucky, four," he said.

Make no mistake - Holland's upset he had to take this route. He expected his team to be far more competitive, but he's a realist. That being said, he's not looking at a complete teardown and rebuild.

And he expects his players to go through the stretch run with pride, even as the curtain falls on The Streak.

"When you're a professional athlete, you try to win. We're going to go down swinging," Holland said. "Some good is going to come out of this year."

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The trade deadline's come and gone, and the New York Islanders will have a new face in their lineup Thursday. Only thing is, he's one of their own.

Joshua Ho-Sang - drafted 28th overall in the first round in 2014 - will make his NHL debut Thursday in Dallas against the Stars, head coach Doug Weight confirmed.

"He will be in the lineup and he's earned the right to be up here," Weight said.

The 21-year-old comes up from the AHL with 10 goals and 36 points in 48 games during his first minor-league season.

"I'm super excited," Ho-Sang said Wednesday, writes NHL.com's Brian Compton. "I'm just going to take it and run with it. I've been waiting for this moment my whole life. Getting the call-up is one thing, but playing a good game is another."

The Islanders are one point back of Toronto for the second wild-card playoff spot in the East, but sat on the sidelines during the deadline. With prices sky high and few impact players available, Garth Snow and Co. instead chose to stay in-house.

Ho-Sang made headlines in 2014 training camp - after he was drafted - when he slept in and was sent back to the OHL. He told Compton he's made a lot of changes to his lifestyle, and that's why he's where he is today - on the cusp of fulfilling a dream.

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It wasn't the slowest trade deadline of all time, but it certainly wasn't the busiest.

Eighteen moves were made Wednesday, sending 33 players to new clubs before the clock struck 3 p.m. ET.

There was one fewer deal this time around than on the final day of trading last year, when 19 trades sent 37 players to new homes.

Here's a look at deadline-day activity over the last five seasons:

Only a couple of big names were moved Wednesday, with Thomas Vanek going from the Detroit Red Wings to the Florida Panthers and Jarome Iginla heading from the Colorado Avalanche to the Los Angeles Kings.

Most of the major 2017 trade activity came in the days leading up to the deadline: The Washington Capitals acquired Kevin Shattenkirk, the Tampa Bay Lightning shipped goaltender Ben Bishop to the Kings, and the Arizona Coyotes sent center Martin Hanzal to the Minnesota Wild earlier in the week.

Other factors contributing to a slow deadline included the faux league-wide parity created largely by the "loser point" and the looming expansion draft, which will force teams to make tough decisions about which players to protect from being selected by the Vegas Golden Knights.

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The trade deadline didn't go as planned for Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray.

Murray entered the day with two potential rental defensemen in Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson - who will both become unrestricted free agents at season's end - but after 3 p.m. ET, they remained members of the Sabres.

"I'm a little bit surprised," he said, according to John Vogl of The Buffalo News. "We didn't have a ton of UFAs, as you know. We had two on the back end that I thought would create some interest. I had some calls on them. Price-wise I was very open."

The Sabres GM expressed his dissatisfaction with the day as a whole.

"Am I disappointed? Of course I'm disappointed," Murray said. "We still have two players here who are here, so I don't want to sit here and just say I couldn't get anything for them. I don't want them to walk in tomorrow with their tail between their legs here."

He added that he received calls on Brian Gionta and Evander Kane, but wasn't interested in the potential deals.

With the Sabres now six points outside the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and five teams to jump, they're likely destined for an early spring.

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Jarome Iginla bet on Los Angeles.

Following a deadline deal Wednesday, the veteran forward is heading to the Kings with winning on his mind.

Iginla, 39, was in the final year of his contract with the struggling Colorado Avalanche, while the move to Los Angeles could offer him a shot at his first Stanley Cup.

Asked if he views the Kings as a contender to win it all, Iginla told Yahoo's Josh Cooper: "I really believe that."

The Kings won their first Stanley Cup in 2012 and repeated the feat two years later. This season, Los Angeles sits one point outside the playoff picture, chasing the St. Louis Blues for the last wild-card position.

The trade to Los Angeles reunites Iginla with coach Darryl Sutter, who was behind the bench for part of Iginla's time with the Calgary Flames. Iginla captained the Flames from 2003-13, before accepting a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2013 deadline.

That attempt didn't end with the silver mug, nor did Iginla's next stints with the Boston Bruins and Avalanche. But he likes his odds in Los Angeles.

"I remember (Drew) Doughty after he won his last (Cup) saying how hungry he was for another one," Iginla told Jon Rosen.

Now moving to his fifth NHL club, not only will Iginla don a different look - he'll also switch away from his iconic No. 12. That number is owned by the Kings' Marian Gaborik, and Iginla has no plans to ask the veteran to put it up for grabs.

It was a relatively busy deadline for the Kings, who made another big-ticket move earlier this week in adding goaltender Ben Bishop from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Kings hope Iginla, who's recorded 18 points this season, will give them an added boost for their playoff push.

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The dust of the trade deadline is finally beginning to settle.

Deals involving Thomas Vanek, Jarome Iginla, and Mark Streit were among the most lucrative and biggest trades reported in the hour before and after the 3:00 p.m. ET mark.

While those moves are expected to have the biggest payoffs for the teams that acquired those players, even the smallest deadline transaction can eventually make a huge impact on the NHL landscape.

Here are three minor trades from Wednesday that could pay off big:

Parenteau to Predators

(Photo courtesy: USA Today Sports)

The Nashville Predators made a safe move to improve their eighth-ranked offense.

The Predators acquired P.A. Parenteau from the New Jersey Devils, giving up just a sixth-round pick for his services. In exchange, Nashville gets a player who has proven - wherever he's played - that he can put the puck in the net.

Related: Devils send Parenteau to Predators for 6th-round pick

Parenteau had amassed the fourth-most goals for the Devils this season with 13, firing 109 shots on goal. He's an asset on the power play, collecting four goals and eight points with the extra man.

The Predators' power play currently sits 12th overall, so upgrading that unit could pay dividends down the stretch and into the postseason.

Stafford to Bruins

Drew Stafford was having a season to forget in Winnipeg, but a deal to the Boston Bruins could bring the 31-year-old winger new life.

The Bruins acquired Stafford for the low price of a conditional sixth-round selection. While he's amassed only four goals and 13 points in 49 games, history shows Stafford can thrive as a rental.

He first joined the Jets ahead of the trade deadline during the 2014-15 season. After scoring just nine goals and 24 points in 50 games with the Buffalo Sabres, he went off for nine goals and 19 points in 26 games down the stretch, adding another two points in four playoff contests.

If he can even approach replicating that type of production with the Bruins, he could be vital in Boston not just making the playoffs, but potentially going on a run.

Andrighetto to Avalanche

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

While the Montreal Canadiens were set on being buyers at the deadline, the Colorado Avalanche may have got the better of the club Wednesday.

The Avalanche were able to acquire forward Sven Andrighetto from the Canadiens in exchange for forward Andreas Martinsen.

The Canadiens certainly add size through the transaction - Martinsen, who's 26, has 5 inches and 32 pounds over the 23-year-old Andrighetto. However, in doing so, they may have given up the more skilled player.

Andrighetto's experienced only marginal success with the big club this season - he has just two goals and eight points in 22 games - but last season he posted a respectable 17 points in 44 games. This season with the St. John's IceCaps, Andrighetto has 22 points in 20 games.

Martinsen, meanwhile, has collected seven points in 55 games this year and just 18 points in 110 career games.

If Andrighetto can continue to develop his game, the Avalanche could have themselves a serviceable forward for the future.

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