The NHL trade deadline came and went with a thud instead of a bang.

Not that anyone expected the deadline Wednesday to come anywhere close to the excitement generated by Canada's Olympic gold-medal win against the United States three days earlier, but it did not even generate the buzz of previous trading days that created a wow factor.

There were dozens of little deals involving multiple players and draft picks completed before the afternoon deadline, but big-name players such as Toronto's Tomas Kaberle, Carolina forward Ray Whitney, and New York Islanders goalies Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron stayed with clubs that are on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Meanwhile, such players as forward Raffi Torres, who went from Columbus to Buffalo, and defenseman Steve Staios, part of a rare trade between bitter Alberta rivals Edmonton and Calgary, found new homes in deals that could prove significant.

Stars such as winger Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta to New Jersey), defenseman Dion Phaneuf (Calgary to Toronto) and forward Olli Jokinen (Calgary to New York Rangers) were involved in trades before the NHL's two-week Olympic break ended Monday.

But among the playoff-contending teams that did not make a move yesterday were the Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks, both of whom felt either that they did not have the stockpile of draft picks or the salary-cap space to upgrade their roster for the stretch run. Or, perhaps, neither one.

As a result, the Flyers, for example, will rely on Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher, longtime NHL backups, to man the nets the rest of the way in place of goalie Ray Emery, who needs season-ending surgery on his right hip.

Meanwhile, Washington beefed up its roster for the stretch and playoffs, swinging four deals. The Capitals re-acquired defensemen Milan Jurcina and acquired defenseman Joe Corvo and forwards Scott Walker and Eric Belanger.

Before trading away the popular and widely coveted Staios for defenseman Aaron Johnson and a third-round draft pick from the Flames, the Oilers acquired U.S. Olympian and former Penguin defenseman Ryan Whitney from the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. Edmonton also received a sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft. Whitney, however, carries a salary-cap price of $4 million over the next three years.

The NHL's Board of Governors gave unanimous approval to the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning to Boston Red Sox minority owner Jeff Vinik Wednesday. Vinik agreed to buy the team, the company that operates the St. Pete Times Forum, and more than five acres of land adjacent to the downtown arena Feb. 4. Financial terms were not disclosed., but Vinik reportedly paid about $110 million cash for the package.

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