Five years of first and last deadline day trades
The trade deadline is built up every year. Television stations start their coverage at the crack of dawn to have you covered for every possible trade that comes through.
The truth is, the most significant moves happen well before the deadline or not at all, which is what we've learned over the years and hours upon hours broadcasters and writers spend covering the trade deadline.
Over the last five years, the first and last trades of the day have left quite a lot to be desired. Please try to contain your excitement.
March 4, 2009

There were 19 trades on deadline day in 2004, one of which was nullified by the Philadelphia Flyers two days later.
The first trade of the day belonged to the Ottawa Senators, who traded forward Antoine Vermette to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Pascal Leclaire and a 2009 second-round draft pick.
That draft pick turned out to be Swedish goaltender Robin Lehner, who shares the Ottawa net with Craig Anderson today.
The last trade of the day would belong to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who traded defenseman Richard Petiot to the Tampa Bay Lightning for goalie Olaf Kolzig, defensemen Jamie Heward and Andy Rogers, and a 2009 fourth-round pick.
The Maple Leafs would eventually forfeit that pick due to a contract violation with Jonas Frogren, who used his signing bonus to buy himself out of his contract with the Swedish League's Färjestad.
March 3, 2010

The 2010 trade deadline featured 31 trades with lots of movement coming out of the Western Conference.
The first trade of the day saw the Montreal Canadiens acquire forward Aaron Palushaj from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Matt D'Agostini.
Palushaj appeared in 41 games for the Canadiens, racking up five points, while D'Agostini played in 189 games for the Blues before joining the New Jersey Devils in the 2012-13 season.
The last trade of the day belonged to the Calgary Flames, who acquired forward Riley Armstrong from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for defenseman Andy Delmore.
Armstrong spent his time in the AHL for the Flames while Delmore did the same, opting to play hockey in Norway, Austria, and Italy after two AHL seasons.
February 28, 2011

There were 16 trades on deadline day three years ago, featuring names like Bryan McCabe, Dustin Penner, and Maxim LaPierre as acquisitions.
The first deal of the day was made by the Atlanta Thrashers, who acquired forwards Patrick Rissmiller and Niclas Bergfors from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Radek Dvorak and a 2011 fifth-round pick.
Rissmiller played in nine games for the Panthers and later joined the AHL as a free agent in 2013. Radek Dvorak played 13 games for the Thrashers, tallying one assist, and later played for the Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, and (currently) the Carolina Hurricanes.
The last trade of the day was a riveting exchange of Petr Kalus to the Columbus Blue Jackets from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.
Kalus would not appear in any games for the Blue Jackets and later signed with Slavia Praha of the Czech Republic League, and MODO of the Swedish Elite League after that.
February 27, 2012

The 2012 trade deadline had 16 trades, with the Vancouver Canucks making four moves.
The first trade of the day saw the Montreal Canadiens trade forward Andrei Kostitsyn to the Nashville Predators for a 2013 second-round pick and a conditional 2013 fifth-round pick.
Kostitsyn would play 19 games for the Predators, tallying 12 points. He signed with the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk in the offseason.
The last deal of the day featured Cody Hodgson joining the Buffalo Sabres, who sent forward Zack Kassian to the Canucks.
That deal has worked out better than the rest on this list, as both Hodgson and Kassian continue to play on the teams they were traded to.
April 3, 2013

Last year's trade deadline featured 17 trades.
The first trade of the day saw the Boston Bruins trade forward Maxime Sauve to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Rob Flick.
Flick has yet to make his NHL debut, while Sauve has only played a handful of games for the Blackhawks.
The last deal of the day saw the Washington Capitals acquire forwards Martin Erat and Michael Latta in exchange for Filip Forsberg.
Erat had trouble getting his game on track, spending 51 games trying to find the net in 2013. He would eventually request a trade out of Washington. Forsberg has appeared in 17 games for the Predators over the past two seasons, scoring six points. He was drafted 11th overall in 2012.