Big names stay put as NHL trade deadline passes

Loui Eriksson is still with Boston. Dan Hamhuis is still a Canuck. And Jonathan Drouin is still on the roster of the Tampa Bay Lightning after the NHL's trade deadline came and went Monday.

The league said there were 19 trades involving 37 players completed on Monday. That's lower than last year's numbers of 24 trades and 43 players, but it marked the 15th straight deadline day in which at least 30 players were dealt.

There were a few splashes made, mostly in the Western Conference by teams including Anaheim and Colorado as the afternoon deadline arrived.

Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic delivered on his intent to provide Colorado's playoff run one more push. And Dallas added defensive depth by landing nine-year veteran Kris Russell in a trade with Calgary in exchange for defensemen Jyrki Jokipakka and Brett Pollock and a conditional second-round draft pick. Russell has 174 shot blocks in just 51 games this season.

But the day was largely notable for the names who didn't move.

Selected third overall in the 2013 draft, Drouin's future with the Lightning remains uncertain after his agent went public with his client's trade demands in December. Drouin was unhappy over being demoted to the minors and has since left the AHL Syracuse Crunch to work out on his own in Montreal.

Boston acquired play-making forward Lee Stempniak from New Jersey and veteran defenseman John Michael Liles from Carolina. But the Bruins stood pat on Eriksson, who was a candidate to be traded because his contract expires this offseason.

"If you look around the league, I don't think any team current in a playoff position traded a player of Loui's magnitude," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. "I think one first-rounder was exchanged. The deal had to be right."

Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford said the asking prices were too high for some players he had identified, and Arizona GM Don Maloney said the uncertainty over how much the salary cap will grow this summer was a factor in preventing some teams from making trades.

Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan expressed disappointment he was unable to make an additional move.

"It seemed to be a little bit quieter today than I expected it to be, so there's a little frustration," MacLellan said. "But still, I'm comfortable with where we're at as a team."

The league-leading Capitals had already addressed their depth by acquiring forward Daniel Winnik from Toronto on Sunday, and adding defenseman Mike Weber from Buffalo last week. The East rival New York Rangers acquired Hurricanes captain Eric Staal in exchange for Finnish prospect Aleksi Saarela and a pair of second-round draft picks over the weekend.