Best NHL Trade Deadline acquisitions include Goring, Francis

The NHL Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Monday and there is sure to be a flurry of activity prior, with teams in contention looking to bolster their offense, shore up their defense, or add goaltending depth.
Here is a look at some of the best trade deadline acquisitions who made an immediate impact on their team that season and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Butch Goring, to New York Islanders from Los Angeles Kings, March 10, 1980
Goring was acquired by the Islanders from the Kings for forward Billy Harris and defenseman Dave Lewis in a franchise-altering trade. The forward scored 11 points in 12 regular-season games to help the Islanders go 8-0 with four ties down the stretch and then scored 19 points in 21 Stanley Cup Playoff games. New York won the first of four straight championships, each of which Goring was a big part.
"They want me to play my game here and with the talent we have, whatever line I play on has the potential to take some of the pressure off the (Bryan) Trottier line," Goring said after the trade. "Frankly, I think we can win the Cup this year."
Ron Francis, to Pittsburgh Penguins from Hartford Whalers, March 4, 1991
Francis was in the middle of his 10th straight season with at least 20 goals when he was traded to the Penguins in a six-player transaction with defenseman Grant Jennings and Ulf Samuelsson from the Whalers for forwards John Cullen and Jeff Parker, and defenseman Zarley Zalapski. Francis, a future Hockey Hall of Famer, scored 11 points in 14 regular-season games before helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup. He scored 17 points in 24 playoff games and tied Kevin Stevens for the Pittsburgh lead with four-game winning goals. Francis scored 27 playoff points the following postseason and the Penguins repeated as champions.
Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan, to New York Rangers from Chicago Blackhawks, March 21, 1994
Matteau scored seven points in 12 games after the trade and two huge goals in the playoffs: double overtime in Game 3 and double overtime in the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils to help New York advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where it would win its first championship in 54 years. Noonan scored four goals, three were game-winners, and had an impact in the playoffs as well. The Blackhawks received forward Tony Amonte, who went on to score at least 30 goals in six straight seasons.
Rob Blake, to Colorado Avalanche from Los Angeles Kings Feb. 21, 2001
Acquiring Blake, one of the best defensemen of all time, helped push the Avalanche over the top. Blake scored 10 points in 13 games and 19 points in 23 games in the playoffs. His 29:26 average ice time per game in the postseason ranked fourth and Colorado won the Stanley Cup. The trade came one season after the Avalanche acquired defenseman Ray Bourque from the Boston Bruins. Bourque scored 52 points in 2000-01 at age 40 and retired after lifting the Cup. Colorado also received forward Steve Reinprecht in the trade that sent three players and two first-round picks to Los Angeles for Blake.
"We had one of the greatest teams that you could assemble, even to this day (Hall of Famers Bourque, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy)," Blake said in 2015. "You look at that roster and it's hard to put a team like that together."
Dwayne Roloson, to Edmonton Oilers from Minnesota Wild, March 8, 2006
With the Oilers having goalie issues, they made a move before the deadline to acquire Roloson for two draft picks. Roloson started 19 of the final 20 regular-season games for Edmonton, going 8-7-4 with a 2.43 goals-against average and .905 save percentage to help it qualify for the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. He helped the Oilers reach the Final for the first time since 1990, going 12-5-0 with a 2.33 GAA and .927 save percentage before getting injured in Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina won the Cup in seven games.
Mark Recchi, to Carolina Hurricanes from Pittsburgh Penguins, March 9, 2006
Recchi was acquired for forwards Niklas Nordgren and Krys Kolanos and a second-round draft pick. The 38-year-old forward, who won the Cup with the Penguins in 1991, scored seven points in 20 games for the Hurricanes before having a bigger impact in the playoffs. Recchi scored 16 points and two game-winning goals in 25 games, including Game 4 of the Final that gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead against the Oilers in the best-of-7 series.
Marian Hossa, to Pittsburgh Penguins from Atlanta Thrashers, Feb. 26, 2008
Hossa was the biggest name moved before the 2008 deadline; he and forward Pascal Dupuis went to Pittsburgh for forwards Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first-round draft pick. The move paid off when Hossa scored 12 points in 10 regular-season games and then led the Penguins with 12 goals and scored 26 points in 20 playoff games. Pittsburgh lost the Final to the Detroit Red Wings in six games.
Bill Guerin, to Pittsburgh Penguins from New York Islanders, March 4, 2009
When the Islanders captain was traded to the Penguins for a conditional draft pick, the 38-year-old was rejuvenated. Guerin, a 17-season NHL veteran who scored 36 points in 61 games before the trade, scored 12 points in 17 games and clicked on a line with Sidney Crosby. He scored seven goals and 15 points in 24 playoff games, including two game-winning goals, to help the Penguins defeat the Red Wings in seven games to win the Cup one season after falling short.
"Playing with the Penguins] was one of the most positive experiences of my life," Guerin said after retiring in 2010. "They were great in bringing me here. My family and I bonded with this team and with this community. Fortunately, we were able to win the Stanley Cup as a family together. It was amazing."
**Jeff Carter, to Los Angeles Kings from Columbus Blue Jackets, Feb. 23, 2012
The Kings were in the hunt for a playoff spot and acquiring Carter helped them achieve that goal. Los Angeles, which sent defenseman Jack Johnson and a first-round pick to Columbus, won 29 of 41 games, including going 16-4 in the playoffs, after acquiring Carter. He tied for the postseason lead with eight goals and three game-winners, including the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 of the 2012 Final against the Devils to help the Kings win their first NHL championship. He helped them win it again in 2014.
[Martin St. Louis, to New York Rangers from Tampa Bay Lightning, March 5, 2014
After playing 13 seasons for the Lightning, St. Louis was traded to the Rangers for forward Ryan Callahan and three draft picks, including two first-round picks, a blockbuster swap of team captain. St. Louis, who won the Art Ross Trophy the previous season as the leading scorer in the NHL, continued to play at an elite level with 61 points in 62 games prior to the trade. Although the forward scored eight points in 19 regular-season games with the Rangers, his eight goals, including three game-winners, and 15 points in 25 games helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final, a five-game loss to the Kings.
"I've been blessed to play parts of two years [in New York] for a great organization," St. Louis said after retiring July 2, 2015. "The opportunity to play for a Cup and one win away again (in 2014-15) … it's an experience I'll never forget."
Justin Schultz, to Pittsburgh Penguins from Edmonton Oilers, Feb. 27, 2016
The defenseman scored 10 points in 45 games and was having the worst season of his NHL career when he was traded for a third-round pick. Although Schultz scored eight points in 18 regular-season games and four assists in 15 playoff games, he added depth and Pittsburgh won the Cup. Schultz followed that up with his best NHL season, scoring 51 points in 78 games and 13 in 21 playoff games while averaging 19:44 of ice time to help the Penguins repeat as champions.
Blake Coleman, to Tampa Bay Lightning from New Jersey Devils, Feb. 16, 2020**
When the Lightning acquired Coleman, it came at a hefty price, forward prospect Nolan Foote and a first-round pick. Coleman, added for grit, had 16 penalty minutes and one assist in nine regular-season games. The forward scored five goals, 13 points and had 31 penalty minutes in the playoffs, and the insurance goal in the decisive Game 6 of the Final when the Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 2-0. The following season, Coleman scored 14 goals and 31 points in 55 regular-season games and 11 points in 23 playoff games and Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup for the second straight season.
"Coleman is going to fit great into our group," Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said after the trade. "I believe in this group, and now I think we're just all the more stronger because we've added Blake Coleman. Not only will he make us a better, more competitive team this year, but he'll also make us a better, more competitive team next year as well."