DEADLINE BREAKDOWN

Experts figured Maria Hossa was headed to Montreal. He ended up in Pittsburgh instead in one of several major trade deadline maneuvers in the NHL Tuesday.

Here is a look at what went down, first with the franchises that are playing to win:

PENGUINS: Can you imagine Hossa playing with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby (when he returns from the injured list) on the Pittsburgh power play? That’s sick. Pittsburgh also beefed up by adding large defenseman Hal Gill to its blue line.

Pittsburgh will be hard-pressed to extend Hossa’s deal, given the expectations of hard-line agent Rich “Nuclear” Winter. But this rental move gives the Penguins a chance to win it all.

CAPITALS: Washington added a top six forward in Sergei Fedorov, an agitator in Matt Cooke and a goaltending upgrade in Cristobal Huet. These acquisitions give Washington a real chance to return to postseason play.

Fedorov’s arrival helps offset the earlier loss of center Michael Nylander. Huet, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, ought to become the No. 1 goaltender. Cooke will drive opponents crazy.

AVALANCHE: After signing free agent Peter Forsberg, Colorado kept going and brought back another old friend – defenseman Adam Foote. Combined with the return of injured forwards Peter Stastny, Joe Sakic and Ryan Smith, these two will make the Avs much more formidable.

But as one pundit warned, “the Avalanche are trying to win the Stanley Cup . . . the 1999 Stanley Cup.”

STARS: Dallas exec Brett Hull finally made a splash, getting speedy center Brad Richards out of Tampa Bay. Richards brings the remainder of his five-year, $39 million deal with him – but he gives Dallas a true No. 1 center for years to come. This franchise had been looking for the Next Mike Modano.

Mike Ribeiro was a nice get earlier, but Richards should be even better. In the near term, he can quarterback the power play while Sergei Zubov recovers from a foot injury.

SHARKS: San Jose’s sad-sack power play gained point man Brian Campbell from the Sabres. The price was high, though: a first-round pick plus forward Steve Bernier. Campbell is headed for unrestricted free agency, so the Sharks will want to re-sign him.

RED WINGS: Detroit was disappointed that Mats Sundin elected to stay put in Toronto, but the Wings did shore up their injury-depleted defense by renting Brad Stuart from Los Angeles.

FLYERS: They hoped to get Forsberg. They didn’t. But versatility scorer Vaclav Prospal will help them overcome the near-term loss of Mike Richards to a torn hamstring muscle.

Now here is a quick look at some of the teams rebuilding:

BLUE JACKETS: The old regime wanted Fedorov and paid a high price to employ him. The new regime wasn’t quite as enamored with him. Columbus moved Fedorov to Washington and Foote to Colorado, gaining defensive prospect Theo Ruth and a future first-round pick.

If Foote signs in Colorado after the season, Columbus will also get a fourth-round pick in ’09. The Blue Jackets didn’t do as well on the Blues on their bailout last year, but they did OK.

THRASHERS: Circumstances forced them to move UFA-to-be Marian Hossa for what they could get. Since Hossa is a rental – he wants to test free agency –Atlanta had little leverage. Under the circumstances, getting Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a future first-round pick for Hossa and Pascal Dupuis wasn’t bad.

Esposito is the wild card; you may recall that he suffered a free fall during the ’07 NHL Draft, then got cut, again, from the World Junior Hockey Championships.

MAPLE LEAFS: Mats Sundin refused to waive his no-trade protection. So Toronto GM Cliff Fletcher staged a minor flea market, moving Wade Belak and Hal Gill for a second-round pick, fifth-round picks in ’08 and ‘09.

LIGHTNING: The team subtracted Prospal and Richards, plus goaltender Johan Holmqvist. This allowed them to lock up defenseman Dan Boyle to a new long-term deal. They gained young goaltender Mike Smith, forward Jussi Jokinen, defenseman Alexandre Picard, forward Jeff Halpern and a fourth-round pick in ’09.

BLUES: John Davidson didn’t cash in big, but he moved out defensemen Bryce Salvador (a potential unrestricted free agent) and Christian Backman for young ruffian Cam Janssen and a fourth-round draft pick. J.D. needed to clear a path for his young defensemen and open up some budget room to re-sign Barret Jackman (four years, $14.4 million) and address needs up front.