NHL trade deadline takeaways: What Chris Kreider extension means for Rangers, the Zach Parise deal that wasn't

We have all the latest updates and rumors from around the league as the trade deadline approaches

The NHL's annual trade deadline came and went on Monday afternoon and it brought plenty of action, but also plenty of inaction. We weren't totally sure what to expected on Monday given the number of big deals made in the days and weeks leading up to Monday's cutoff, but the stove was still hot enough to make deadline day quite entertaining.

We kept tabs on all the action here throughout the day and you can find a rundown of all the deals of significance via our trade tracker. Below you'll find some initial takeaways at the conclusion of the trade frenzy. You can find a full list of winners and losers here.

Kreider re-ups in New York

Chris Kreider was arguably the biggest name on the trade market heading into Monday. Not only did he not get dealt, but he also committed to the Rangers for the next seven years. The winger signed a seven-year extension worth an annual average value of $6.5 million.

The Rangers seemed reluctant to go seven years with Kreider but ultimately they relented and, as a result, they'll get to keep a good pillar as they continue to build for the future. The signing also has immediate ramifications considering the Rangers are still in the playoff hunt in the East; They currently sit four points back of a playoff spot. 

Zach Parise rumors stirred the pot

One of the most unexpected developments to surface on Monday was that the Islanders and Wild were in talks regarding a massive swap that would have sent Zach Parise to Long Island for a reunion with Lou Lamoriello. The framework of that deal would have been set around Parise to the Isles and Andrew Ladd to the Wild, and it had reportedly been discussed by the two teams dating all the way back to last summer.

Both players were reportedly willing to waive their no-trade clauses for the deal and it seemed like it actually might happen, but nothing ever came to fruition. It would have been an incredibly bold play by Lamoriello, considering Parise is 35 years old and carries a $7.5 million cap hit through 2025. Alas, it was the big splash that never was.

Marleau moves but Thornton doesn't

There were rumors surrounding the Sharks' willingness to ship aging veterans Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton to contenders as they chase their first Stanley Cup, but only one of the elders had to pack his bags. Marleau was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins pretty early in the day while Thornton will stay put in San Jose despite some significant reported interest from Dallas and Boston.

Early shopping was key

Many of the most significant deals this year came prior to Monday, including the Penguins landing Jason Zucker, the Canucks getting Tyler Toffoli, Vegas snagging Alec Martinez, the Capitals getting Brenden Dillon and Ilya Kovalchuk, the Bruins adding Ondrej Kase, etc. 

That's not to say no important deals went down on Monday or that some the early shoppers didn't have to pay a premium, but plenty of potential buyers that were linked to some of the aforementioned names ultimately ended up staying quiet at the deadline. That's not entirely a surprise considering it was a thin player market to begin with. As a result, the prices were set quite high from the jump. Most teams that didn't find a way to strike early probably had a frustrating time trying to improve on Monday.

[Feb 24, 2020 at 3:00 pm ET · Pete Blackburn]

Robin Lehner to Vegas is verrrrrrrry interesting. Holy moly. We've got a tandem in Sin City.

[Feb 24, 2020 at 2:40 pm ET · Pete Blackburn]

Joe Thornton not going to Dallas and talks about a reunion with Boston have reportedly cooled off, so that's interesting.