ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals are confident their recent stretch of winning hockey is a sign of things to come and they have the pieces in place for a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Those pieces now include veteran forward Martin Erat, whom the Capitals acquired from the Nashville Predators just before the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline.

Erat waived his no-movement clause before joining Washington, along with minor-league prospect Michael Latta, in exchange for 2012 first-round pick Filip Forsberg.

"It's about trying to be a good team now and in the future," Capitals general manager George McPhee said.

Davis Drewiske

Defense - MTL

GOALS: 1 | ASST: 3 | PTS: 4
SOG: 20 | +/-: 3

Those teams made significant moves prior to Wednesday's NHL Trade Deadline to load up for a deep Stanley Cup Playoff run, but that did not compel Bergevin to follow suit as the Canadiens simply added depth defenseman Davis Drewiske from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

"We are always trying to improve the Montreal Canadiens," Bergevin said an hour after the deadline passed. "But with a record of 23-7, I think we can all agree we are satisfied."

NEW YORK – New York Rangers coach John Tortorella wasn't surprised Marian Gaborik was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. That's because Tortorella was part of the internal talks that led to Gaborik being shipped out in exchange for forwards Derick Brassard and Derek Dorsett, along with defenseman John Moore.

"I was involved in the discussions with it," Tortorella said about 90 minutes before the Rangers were to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden. "It is a situation that for us … listen, he's a good player and his game's beginning to come, but it gives us some flexibility going forward. We're filling out the middle of our lineup with that deal. We get some good players there with some grind, with some skill."

The trade came less than 24 hours after the Rangers acquired forward Ryane Clowe from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for three draft picks. Clowe, Brassard and Moore were in the Rangers' lineup against the Penguins; Dorsett is out with a broken collarbone.

Martin Erat

Right Wing - WSH

GOALS: 4 | ASST: 17 | PTS: 21
SOG: 60 | +/-: -7

Wednesday, Erat waived a no-movement clause allowing Nashville to trade him along with minor-league center Michael Latta for top prospect Filip Forsberg.

"I can't sugarcoat it," Poile said of Erat's request. "It's really disappointing."

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Robyn Regehr doesn't have much connection to the Los Angeles Kings, other than having played for coach Darryl Sutter with the Calgary Flames.

Robyn Regehr

Defense - LAK

GOALS: 0 | ASST: 2 | PTS: 2
SOG: 15 | +/-: -4

"I remember I separated Justin Williams' shoulder in the corner one game [last March], so maybe he's not quite happy with me," Regehr said jokingly. "So we'll try to work it out. Water under the bridge."

The Kings would like this to be the beginning of an extended partnership with Regehr, 32, who was acquired Monday from the Buffalo Sabres for second-round draft picks in 2014 and 2015.

BUFFALO – The Buffalo Sabres will be looking for a new captain, who will lead a far different team.

Jason Pominville

Right Wing - MIN

GOALS: 10 | ASST: 15 | PTS: 25
SOG: 94 | +/-: 1

"Jason Pominville may have been at the bottom of the list of players I wanted to move," Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said.

Regier's decision to trade Pominville is the biggest move he's made since stating this past weekend that the team would be open to almost any trade involving roster players and prospects in an effort to set the franchise up for long-term success -- with the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise has played with and against forward Jason Pominville during his career and was excited to hear the news on Wednesday that his team had acquired the 30-year-old veteran in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.

Jason Pominville

Right Wing - MIN

GOALS: 10 | ASST: 15 | PTS: 25
SOG: 94 | +/-: 1

While the price for Pominville was steep, the Wild are looking to maintain some level of offensive consistency down the stretch -- the team is third in the Western Conference with 21 wins and 44 points.

Minnesota shipped goalie Matt Hackett and forward Johan Larsson, as well as a 2013 first-round pick and 2014 second-round pick, to the Sabres in exchange for Pominville and Buffalo's 2014 fourth-round draft.

SAN JOSE -- When the San Jose Sharks traded forward Ryane Clowe to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, the No. 1 question was obvious: How were the Sharks going to handle the stretch run without their most physical and intimidating player?

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson answered that question Wednesday with a deadline deal with the Phoenix Coyotes for forward Raffi Torres, a player known most for delivering devastating hits and playing with an infamous edge, but one who also has some skill.

"That’s exactly what you want," Wilson said. "You hate playing against him, you want him on your side. He can skate. People know when he’s on the ice. But he can play too. With Ryane moving on to New York, having that physical presence is very important. He’s a guy we are all very familiar with. He can play the game and he can get in there. The speed to his game is a big part of it. You want your physical presence to have speed."

Steve Sullivan

Left Wing - NJD

GOALS: 5 | ASST: 7 | PTS: 12
SOG: 48 | +/-: -8

"It was a shock [to learn I was going back to New Jersey], I really didn't see it coming, but it's a great opportunity," Sullivan told the Devils website. "I'm glad to be going back to where it all began."

The Columbus Blue Jackets are all in on their pursuit of the second Stanley Cup Playoffs berth in franchise history. The New York Rangers dealt a three-time 40-goal scorer. The Buffalo Sabres continued their shakeup by dealing their captain, the Nashville Predators traded one of their franchise fixtures, and a lot of other teams went for added depth.

Such was the activity at this year's NHL Trade Deadline, which saw most of the major deals crammed into the last 45 minutes before the 3 p.m. ET end of the trade period.

Here's a look at who did what:

Marian Gaborik

Right Wing - CBJ

GOALS: 9 | ASST: 10 | PTS: 19
SOG: 113 | +/-: -8

Gaborik hit the 40-goal mark in two of his first three seasons with the Rangers, but he's struggled badly this season (nine goals and 19 points in 35 games, just two goals in his past 22) and had his ups and downs with New York coach John Tortorella, including a 10-minute on-ice session last week. If he can regain his scoring touch, he'll give a major boost to a team that's one point out of eighth place in the Western Conference despite being 29th in scoring. He has one more season on his contract at a cap hit of $7.5 million.