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The 5 biggest deals of NHL Trade Deadline season | Locked On NHL

There was a huge amount of player movement around the NHL in recent days. Here's the biggest moves made around the league.

There was a huge amount of player movement around the NHL in recent weeks ahead of the March 3 NHL Trade Deadline.

There were 21 trades made on the deadline day itself, but plenty of action was flying for two weeks leading up to the deadline.

.Here's the five biggest moves made around the league.

Check out expert reactions from the biggest trades during the NHL Trade Deadline here

Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils

The 26-year-old was arguably the biggest fish on the trade market, and the San Jose Sharks sent Meier to New Jersey in a complicated deal that primarily sent a 2023 first-round selection and high-end prospects in defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and forward Fabian Zetterlund, among other pieces.

Meier scored a goal in his Devils debut, and is due a massive contract extension as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

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Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers

The Blueshirts had already made a huge splash by adding Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, but Kane made it pretty clear he wanted to hit Broadway as well.

After a long and successful tenure with the currently rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, the 34-year-old forward was traded to the Rangers in a three-team deal that also involved the Arizona Coyotes for salary cap retention purposes.

Kane has yet to record a point in two appearances with the Rangers, who are on a collision course with the Devils in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Jakob Chychrun to the Ottawa Senators

The 24-year-old defenseman was long believed to be there for the taking, and was held out of the Arizona Coyotes lineup for several games for "trade-related reasons". 

In the end, he was sent North, as the Coyotes grabbed a conditional first-round pick in 2023, a conditional second-round pick in 2024 and a second-round pick in 2026 from the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators are surging at the moment, three points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. What's key in this deal, though, is that Chychrun is under contract for two more seasons at a very manageable cap hit. So, the Senators got some help for this push, and added a key piece at a clear area of need.

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Joonas Korpisalo, Vladisla Gavrikov to the Los Angeles Kings

Kings general manager Rob Blake shook the somewhat deteriorating foundation of his club by trading goaltender Jonathan Quick - along with a  first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft - to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo.

Quick had backstopped the Kings to a pair of Stanley Cups a decade ago, but his game had fallen off in recent seasons, causing the Kings to look elsewhere for help. 

The Blue Jackets then flipped Quick to the Vegas Golden Knights prior to the deadline, setting up what could be an intriguing meeting between the two Pacific Division clubs in the postseason.

Korpisalo, by the way, stopped 24 of 26 shots in his Kings debut, a win over the St. Louis Blues, while Quick beat the lowly Montreal Canadiens in his first startas a Golden Knight.

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Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins

The Bruins were believed to be interested in Gavrikov, but elected to deal with the Washington Capitals, adding depth both on defense and up front.

The already league-leading team from Boston acquired Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway for Craig Smith, a first-round pick in 2023, and a couple lesser picks from the Capitals, shoring up what's already a pretty loaded roster.

Orlov has made an immediate impact, recording three goals and six assists in five games as a Bruins. Those three goals match his scoring from 43 previous games with the Capitals.

The Bruins were hit with injuries to Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall prior to the deadline, allowing them to add even more in the form of Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings.

Add it all up and the best team in hockey got bigger, badder, and better.

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