NHL Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

Winner: Chicago Blackhawks

Arrivals: (F) Antoine Vermette, (F) Andrew Desjardins, (F) Spencer Abbott, (D) Kimmo Timonen

Departures: (F) Ben Smith, (D) Klas Dahlbeck, (D) T.J. Brennan, 2015 1st- and 2nd-round picks, 2016 conditional 4th-round pick, 2017 conditional 7th-round pick

Chicago traded Dahlbeck, a 2015 1st- and 2nd-round pick and a conditional 4th-round pick in 2016 for two rental players. That's a lot, but you gotta pay to play when the Stanley Cup is within reach.

The Patrick Kane injury opened the door for the Hawks to acquire talent with money attached to them. Antoine Vermette and Kimmo Timonen were two players touched on last week as guys Chicago would be wise to acquire. Vermette shores up Chicago’s two-way center deficiency and gives them a solid second center on the penalty kill who wins faceoffs.

Timonen will be an instant upgrade once he gets up to par after missing all of the 2014-2015 season up to this point. Once Timonen gets his legs underneath him, his presence will improve Chicago’s abysmal zone exits. The Blackhawks have been able to drive possession in large part because of speedy defensemen who can move the puck in Coach Joel Quenneville’s system. Trading away Nick Leddy hurt their speed and offensive depth on the blue line, but knew he had value. Management bet on Johnny Oduya to continue his consistent play, but a generally down season has exploited Chicago’s inability to move the puck out of their zone. Timonen led the Philadelphia Flyers defensemen in Corsi For in 2013-2014 and will be a safety blanket on the second power play unit.

Ben Smith's departure was a salary dump to prepare for an offseason in which players such as Brandon Saad will need new deals. Smith was never seen as more than a bottom-six forward on a stacked team, making him replaceable.