NHL Trade Deadline impact on Stanley Cup Playoffs debated by NHL.com

Five weeks is a big enough sample size to dissect the impact of the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline and discuss which team landed the biggest prize.

The fact that the Stanley Cup Playoffs start May 2, a week from today, further crystalizes the picture since many teams trading for players were looking for a postseason spark.
But which player was the biggest acquisition before the deadline March 21?
We asked 10 NHL.com writers for their opinion. Here are the answers, listed alphabetically:
Andrew Copp, New York Rangers
The forward came to the Rangers from the Winnipeg Jets with a reputation as the ultimate Swiss Army knife. Copp has scored 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) with New York and has scored a point in 13 of his 15 games since the trade March 21. He has played mostly on a line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome, but is more than a top-six plug-in. He knows the defensive side of the game, is a strong penalty killer and has played on the power play with the Rangers and Jets. -- Tim Campbell, staff writer
I agree with Tim. The Rangers needed more versatility in their lineup, a player who can play in multiple situations, on the power play and on the penalty kill, and with top players without changing the makeup of his game. Copp has delivered on all fronts. Yes he's mostly been a mainstay with Panarin and Strome, but it's more than his chemistry with them and his offensive production. Copp's ability to play below the goal line helps Panarin and Strome find more room in the offensive zone. His ability to win face-offs on his strong side has helped the Rangers control the puck more. His versatility has made the Rangers a more dangerous team. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
Marc-Andre Fleury, Minnesota Wild
Fleury has teamed with Cam Talbot to give the Wild one of the top goalie tandems in the NHL since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 21. Fleury is 8-1-0 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in nine games with Minnesota. More importantly, the Wild are 15-1-3 since the deadline, their 33 points in that span best in the NHL. Fleury, the Vezina Trophy winner as the top goalie in the NHL last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, and Talbot have split the starts for the Wild since the trade. But Fleury's experience winning the Stanley Cup three times with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017) and reaching the Stanley Cup Final with Vegas in 2018 will be difficult to ignore when Minnesota picks its starting goalie for the playoffs. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Mark Giordano, Toronto Maple Leafs
Perhaps not as high profile as other acquisitions, the defenseman's arrival in Toronto from the Seattle Kraken on March 20 remains significant. Captain of the Kraken and previously the Calgary Flames, and the 2018-19 Norris Trophy winner as the best defenseman in the NHL, Giordano adds leadership, grit, experience (1,022 regular-season games) and a calming influence from playing in a hockey pressure cooker of a city during his tenure with the Flames (2005-21). He also provides additional offense from the blue line, and has scored 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 18 games since the trade. -- William Douglas, staff writer
Claude Giroux, Florida Panthers
Since being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on March 19, the forward has scored 22 points (three goals, 19 assists) in 17 games. More importantly, the Panthers have gone 15-2-0 since bringing in the former Flyers captain. Giroux, playing on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Bennett, gives the Panthers three effective scoring lines, along with Aleksander Barkov centering Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair, and Anton Lundell between Mason Marchment and Sam Reinhart. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
I have to go with Giroux too. Often the biggest name dealt at the deadline doesn't make the biggest impact, but with Giroux the numbers speak for themselves. The funny part is that he didn't click with Barkov, with whom he was expected to play. Instead, he ended up with Huberdeau, who said they share a "French connection." Giroux has skill, but he also has grit and competitiveness. He fits the Panthers and adds another dimension at the same time. In the playoffs, he will make their lineup much harder to match up against and could help put them over the top. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
The forward, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on March 21, may not be the splashiest acquisition included on this list. But considering the lineup the Avalanche had heading into the deadline, they didn't need to make a splash. They needed a reliable forward who would fit in different places on different lines, and that's what they got. Lehkonen has scored seven points (four goals, three assists) in 13 games, and provided the depth scoring and injury insurance the Avalanche sought at the deadline. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Nicholas Paul, Tampa Bay Lightning
Excuse the pun, but general manager Julien BriseBois seems to find lightning in a bottle at each deadline. Paul might be the addition that shocks the hockey world when the playoffs start. The forward has fit in perfectly since his arrival from the Ottawa Senators on March 20, allowing the Lightning to create a dangerous third line that was one of the keys to them winning the Stanley Cup each of the past two seasons. Paul has scored 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 18 games with Tampa Bay, but also has been a relentless forechecking presence who contributes all the minor details that helps fuel the attack that makes the Lightning so hard to handle in the postseason. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Rickard Rakell, Pittsburgh Penguins
When the Penguins acquired Rakell from the Anaheim Ducks on March 21, the idea was that the forward would be able to play with either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh's top six. It looks like he might be finding some chemistry with Crosby, which could make the Penguins, with their talent and playoff pedigree, an even more difficult out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Rakell has scored 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 17 games, and is bringing speed and playmaking to create an even deeper offense. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Frank Vatrano, New York Rangers
The acquisition of the forward from the Panthers on March 16 is working out better than expected. Vatrano has been extremely productive with the Rangers, scoring 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 19 games. Vatrano has averaged 15:18 of ice time with the Rangers, up from 12:12 in 49 games with the Panthers. He's fast, skilled, can kill penalties and is defensively responsible, making him an excellent fit. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer