5 biggest trade deadline deals in the past 10 years

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While the NHL's trade deadline is hyped as a day in which teams can solidify their status as true Stanley Cup Contenders or add valuable pieces towards a brighter future, rarely do we see trades that are tagged as "big deals." 

More often that not, we're treated to trades that involve bottom-six forwards, third-pair defensemen and low-round draft picks, leaving us wondering why we spent eight hours glued to the TV with our mobile devices in hand.

Sometime, however, marquee players are indeed dealt, and moves are made to significantly boost at team's chances of lifting Lord Stanley's Cup later that season.

Here's a look at the five biggest deadline deals from the past ten years.

2006 - Mark Recchi to Carolina

Teams looking to deal at the deadline are often looking for effective, veteran forwards capable of making a meaningful impact in the playoffs. 

That's exactly what the Carolina Hurricanes got when they traded forwards Niklas Nordgren, Krystofer Kolanos along with a second-round pick in 2007 (later traded to the Philadelphia Flyers who selected D Kevin Marshall) to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Mark Recchi.

Much to the surprise of many, the Hurricanes finished with 113 points in 2005-06, and beat the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres on the way to their first Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history.

For his part, Recchi - who had won the Cup once before with the Penguins - scored seven goals and added nine assists in 25 playoff games, and later added a third Cup to his resume while playing the same role for the Boston Bruins; conversely, none of the players sent to Pittsburgh in 2006 registered a single point for the Penguins.

2008 - Brian Campbell to San Jose

Defenseman are also at a premium on trade deadline day, and none was more sought after in 2008 than Brian Campbell of the Sabres. The San Jose Sharks managed to acquire his services, as Buffalo sent Campbell and a seventh-round pick (Drew Daniels) out West for Steve Bernier and a first-round pick (Tyler Ennis).

An impending unrestricted free agent, Campbell sparkled on the Sharks' blue line, registering 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 20 regular season games and another goal and six assists in 13 playoff games.

Ultimately, he wasn't able to help San Jose over the hump because, well, they're the Sharks. His performance with the team did, however, help him earn an eight-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks that summer, worth over $7-million dollars a year.

2008 - Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh

As mentioned earlier, trade deadline rarely features deals involving marquee players, but the Pittsburgh Penguins managed to wrangle one out of Atlanta in 2008, courtesy of the Thrashers.

The Penguins acquire forwards Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for forwards Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito, and a 2008 first-round draft pick (Daultan Leveille).

The deal paid immediate if not lasting dividends for the Penguins, as Hossa scored three goals and added seven assists in 12 regular seasons games before exploding for 12 goals and 14 assists during the playoffs, a run that ended in a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final. 

Hossa meshed well with Sidney Crosby and Dupuis but rejected a reported five-year, $35-million offer from the Penguins that summer in lieu of a one-year deal from the Red Wings, only to watch Pittsburgh lift the Cup the following spring after a game seven win over Detroit in the 2009 Final. 

Dupuis, however, remains a key component for the Penguins, or at least until he suffered a season-ending injury late in 2013.

2008 - Brad Richards to Dallas

While there were only five total trades made on trade deadline day in 2008 (including the two already mentioned), yet another big deal went down as the Tampa Bay Lightning sent forward Brad Richards and goaltender Johan Holmqvist to the Dallas Stars for forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern, goaltender Mike Smith, and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick (Kyle Bigos).

Richards, drafted in 1998 by the Lightning (63 picks after the team selected Vincent Lecavalier first overall), took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 after scoring 12 goals and 14 assists en route to a Stanley Cup victory over the Calgary Flames. Two years later, he signed a five-year, $39-million contract extension with the team.

In a salary cap world, however, it became apparent that Tampa Bay could not hold on to all three of Richards, Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Thus, three hours prior to the deadline, the trigger was pulled and Richards became a Star, where he remained for three more seasons.

2013 - Marian Gaborik to Columbus

Looking back, 2013 was actually one of the busiest days in recent deadline history, not only in terms of the numbers of trades, but also in regards to the quality of players dealt (see below for a few more notables).

The biggest singular name dealt on April 3, 2013 was Marian Gaborik, who was sent from the New York Rangers - along with prospects Steven Delisle and Blake Parlett - for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, John Moore and a 2014 sixth round draft pick. This deal marked the second significant trade between these two clubs in recent memory (see: Nash, Rick), and served as a bold move for the Blue Jackets, who were clearly no longer content to look to the future, but rather desirous to compete in the present.

Gaborik chipped in three goals and five assists in 12 games for Columbus, as the team fell just short of qualifying for the playoffs. He remains with the Blue Jackets as an impending unrestricted free agent in 2014, and is poised to help the team make a run at an Eastern Conference playoff spot after being hindered by injuries in the first half of the season.

Having said that, there exists the slim possibility that Gaborik could be dealt before March 5, considering his expiring contract status.

Other notable trades from 2013

• Minnesota Wild acquired Jason Pominville and a 2014 fourth round draft pick from the Buffalo Sabres for Matt Hackett, prospect Johan Larsson, a 2013 first round draft pick (Nikita Zadorov) and a 2014 second round draft pick.
• Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Ben Bishop from the Ottawa Senators for Cory Conacher and a 2013 fourth round draft pick.
• Philadelphia Flyers acquired Steve Mason from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Michael Leighton and a 2015 third round draft pick.
• Washington Capitals acquired Martin Erat and prospect Michael Latta from the Nashville Predators for prospect Filip Forsberg.
• Players also dealt in the days leading up to the 2013 deadline: Brenden Morrow (Pittsburgh), Douglas Murray (Pittsburgh), Jarome Iginla (Pittsburgh), Michael Handzus (Chicago), Robyn Regehr (Los Angeles), Jay Bouwmeester (St. Louis), Derek Roy (Vancouver), Ryane Clowe (San Jose), Jaromir Jagr (Boston).