Hurricanes' haul one of biggest storylines of Trade Deadline

There was a flurry of activity before the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday, with several teams attempting to strengthen their chances to get into and have success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Here are five of the biggest storylines of the day:

RELATED: [2019-20 NHL Trade Tracker]

Hurricanes' whirlwind

Clinging to the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes demonstrated their commitment by being one of busiest teams ahead of the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline. They started by acquiring forward Vincent Trocheck from the Florida Panthers for forwards Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark and prospects Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie.
With defensemen Brett Pesce (shoulder) and Dougie Hamilton (fractured left leg) out, Carolina also acquired defenseman Brady Skjei from the New York Rangers for a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and defenseman Sami Vatanen from the New Jersey Devils for forward Janne Kuokkanen, defenseman Frederik Claesson and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Vatanen, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, has been out with a foot injury since Feb. 1, but general manager Don Waddell said he is expected back in early March.
Although Petr Mrazek (concussion/neck) and James Reimer (lower body) are injured, the Hurricanes opted not to trade for another goalie. Waddell said they believe Alex Nedeljkovic and Anton Forsberg, who have been called up from the Charlotte of the American Hockey League, can handle the goaltending until Mrazek and Reimer are healthy.

Metropolitan gets tougher

The Hurricanes needed to make moves to keep pace in the ultracompetitive Metropolitan Division, where the top six teams are separated by eight points.
The first-place Washington Capitals acquired forward Ilya Kovalchuk from the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday to strengthen their scoring depth and added physicality at defenseman by acquiring Brenden Dillon from the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 18.
The second-place Pittsburgh Penguins, who trail the Capitals by two points, supplemented a Feb. 10 trade with the Minnesota Wild for forward Jason Zucker by acquiring forward Patrick Marleau from the Sharks and forwards
Conor Sheary
(a member of their 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup-winning teams) and Evan Rodrigues from the Buffalo Sabres.
The third-place Philadelphia Flyers, who are three points behind the Penguins, added depth at forward by picking up Nate Thompson from the Canadiens and Derek Grant from the Anaheim Ducks.
The New York Islanders, who are one point back of the Flyers and tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the first wild card in the East, added one of the biggest prizes on the trade market by acquiring center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Ottawa Senators and signing him to a six-year contract after acquiring defenseman Andy Greene from the Devils on Feb. 16.
The Blue Jackets were one of the busiest teams at the deadline last season. This season, their lone addition was forward Devin Shore, who they acquired from the Ducks for forward Sonny Milano.

Pacific teams load up too

There was a similar arms race in the Pacific Division, with the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers leading the way.
First-place Vegas' big move was a trade with the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Alec Martinez on Feb. 19, but it strengthened its roster further by acquiring goalie Robin Lehner in a three-way trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks and getting forward Nick Cousins from Montreal.
The Oilers, who are three points behind the Golden Knights, also were active. After they acquired defenseman Mike Green from the Detroit Red Wings late Sunday, GM Ken Holland went back to his former team again to add forward Andreas Athanasiou from the Red Wings before getting forward Tyler Ennis from the Senators.
The third-place Vancouver Canucks, who trail the Oilers by one point, made their big move Feb. 17, when they acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Kings. Vancouver added goalie depth by getting
Louis Domingue
from New Jersey.
The Calgary Flames, who hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference and trail the Canucks by two points, got stronger at defenseman by acquiring Derek Forbort from the Kings and Erik Gustafsson from the Blackhawks.
The Arizona Coyotes, who are tied with the Flames, were comparatively quiet, adding forward Markus Hannikainen from the Blue Jackets. They made their big splash Dec. 16, when they acquired forward Taylor Hall from the Devils.

Marleau goes, but Thornton stays

Being traded to the Penguins will give Marleau an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in his 22nd NHL season. But the 40-year-old's longtime Sharks teammate Joe Thornton likely won't get that chance this season.
After Thornton told The Athletic on Saturday that he might be willing to waive his no-trade clause to move to a contender, the 40-year-old remained with San Jose, which is 14 points behind Arizona.
Thornton, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, said he plans to continue playing beyond this season, so maybe his chance to win the Cup will come in 2020-21.

Defending champions mostly stand pat

The St. Louis Blues' lone trade before the deadline was the acquisition of defenseman Marco Scandella from Montreal on Feb. 18. That move was to address the loss of defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who is on long-term injured reserve after having a cardiac episode during a game at the Ducks on Feb. 11.
The Blues also made only one trade before the deadline last season, adding defenseman Michael Del Zotto, and went on to win the Stanley Cup. So clearly GM Doug Armstrong feels comfortable going for a Cup repeat with mostly the same group he had last season.
That St. Louis didn't add a forward also suggests Armstrong continues to believe Vladimir Tarasenko (left shoulder surgery) will play before the end of the regular season.