The Blues did very little at the NHL trade deadline. Keith Tkachuk stayed, Chris Pronger did not arrive and the only new face for the organization is AHL defenseman Danny Richmond.

The Flames got stronger. So did the Rangers. The Flyers got a bit meaner and both the Bruins and Penguins added more offense.

Let’s see what some of the experts had to say about it all:

Scott Burnside, ESPN.com: “With top names like Jay Bouwmeester and Chris Pronger staying put, and top teams like Washington and Detroit standing pat, there is more than a little sense of lunch-bag letdown. But make no mistake, as it does every year, the NHL landscape is changed as a result of the 22 deals involving 47 players made before Wednesday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. The changes may be felt tomorrow in place like New York, where the Rangers have dramatically altered their team personality in recent days, Pittsburgh and Boston, while the changes will be more subtle in places like Toronto and Anaheim, where players were departed in exchange for prospects and draft picks.”

Dan Rosen, NHL.com: “One contending team in the Western Conference made a major statement Wednesday and it was not the Detroit Red Wings or the San Jose Sharks. The Calgary Flames positioned themselves for a Stanley Cup run with two key trades. Flames GM Darryl Sutter first grabbed defenseman Jordan Leopold from the Colorado Avalanche, but his blockbuster came later in the day when he pulled the trigger on arguably the biggest deal of the day by getting center Olli Jokinen from Phoenix in a trade that involved three players and two draft picks.”

Chris Johnson, Canadian Press: “The most telling sign of all was that the ultra-conservative Sutter emerged as the boldest GM on deadline day. He parted with a first-round pick and roster player Matthew Lombardi to land Olli Jokinen from Phoenix and also reacquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from Colorado. There wasn’t another team that swung for the fences in that manner. Many tinkered, and a few chose to do nothing - including Vancouver and Montreal.”

Ryan Dixon, The Hockey News: “The Habs couldn’t come up with a better package for Olli Jokinen than Brandon Prust, Matthew Lombardi and a first round pick this  year or next? The Canadiens seemed to be acknowledging their need for a big, productive pivot when they aggressively pursued Mats Sundin. Not besting Calgary’s mediocre parcel indicates the Habs aren’t as self aware as we thought.”

Bob McKenzie, TSN: “Edmonton was also a winner Wednesday by subtracting one forward who was okay in Erik Cole and adding two forwards in Patrick O’Sullivan and Ales Kotalik, who have a chance to give them a boost offensively - which could be the difference in the Oilers making the playoffs.”

Allan Muir, SI.com: “The Coyotes) may wipe out a year’s worth of financial losses just from selling lineup cards at the next few home games. Six men enter, four men leave. The new bodies are younger and faster, they added a first- and second-rounder to continue the rebuild, and they got rid of a problem in Olli Jokinen. A nice day’s work that should help build the rep of GM Don Maloney.”

Pierre LeBrun, ESPN.com: “Jay Bouwmeester, Chris Pronger, Ryan Smyth, Keith Tkachuk, Tomas Kaberle, Ian Laperriere and Chris Neil were traded many times on various Web sites and chat rooms over the last few weeks. Just not when it actually mattered. Wednesday’s NHL trade deadline was just as newsworthy for the players who didn’t move as for those who did find new homes. And that’s because several playoff-bound teams did not want to give up young assets in this uncertain NHL economic landscape. Prospects and draft picks might be the most important assets right now as teams try to figure out what’s going to happen with the salary cap over the next few years.”