Many deals that paid significant dividends to the acquiring teams have taken place during the NHL's annual trade deadline.
Some of the more impactful moves in recent years saw the Los Angeles Kings acquire Jeff Carter (2012) and Marian Gaborik (2014), the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in Ben Bishop (2013) and the New York Rangers deal for Martin St. Louis (2014).
On the other hand, there have also been trades that would prove regrettable.
One notable blunder saw the Calgary Flames trade a young forward who blossomed into one of the greatest goal scorers of all time.