Brendan Shanahan made his first major mark on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster on Wednesday, opening the door to the long-term, sometimes painful rebuild he knows the franchise needs to go through in order to once again become relevant in the chase for the Stanley Cup.

After spending months wielding his power mostly to build Toronto's front office and coaching staff, Shanahan, the Maple Leafs president, went to work on his roster rebuild by trading forward Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In trading Kessel, Shanahan opened $6.8 million in salary-cap space for the next seven seasons. The Maple Leafs retained 15 percent ($1.2 million) of Kessel's $8 million cap charge.

Kessel was the best trade chip Shanahan could play to start his rebuild if Toronto does not want to be in a win-now frame of mind, even after bringing in Mike Babcock as coach.

CHICAGO -- Artem Anisimov wanted to be part of the Chicago Blackhawks just as much as they wanted him to be their second-line center.

That's the main reason the two sides came together Wednesday on a five-year contract extension announced by the Blackhawks a day after they acquired Anisimov in a seven-player trade that sent forward Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"I want to be part of the team," Anisimov said Wednesday. "Every year, they've battled for the Stanley Cup. To sign for five years in Chicago is big for me, and I'm really excited to sign with the Blackhawks."

COLUMBUS -- Brandon Saad, the newest Columbus Blue Jackets left wing, is still getting used to no longer being a member of the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.

"I was a little shocked," Saad said Wednesday after being traded Tuesday. "It was my first time going through the process. At the same time it's a business and you have to expect it. After that, I'm definitely excited to come to a good, young team in Columbus.

"Things are going to happen, and most guys don't play their entire career in the same place."

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has won the Stanley Cup twice after retooling his roster, and that was on his mind again Tuesday when he traded Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bowman wasn't confident with the direction of contract negotiations with Saad, who can become a restricted free agent Wednesday, and he didn't want to find out what kind of offer the 22-year-old forward might receive from another team.

So he switched gears and made the trade, acquiring four players and a fourth-round pick at the 2016 NHL Draft for Saad and two prospects.

The Blackhawks' haul is headlined by 6-foot-4 center Artem Anisimov and 20-year-old forward Marko Dano.

"My job is to prepare our team for next season to remain competitive and to have a chance to win the [Stanley Cup] again next season," Bowman said. "Sometimes that involves difficult decisions. It's a challenge to try and negotiate a contract. We gave it our best shot. We worked hard at it with Brandon and his agent, and weren't able to reach an agreement. And when that became apparent, then we turned our focus to trying to improve our team for next season."

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets have been stockpiling draft choices and prospects for years now to allow them to pull off a trade like they did Tuesday, when they sent four players and a future pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for left wing Brandon Saad.

"If we get good depth, some quality depth, then maybe we can put together a package and try to get an elite player like Brandon Saad on our team," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said.

Columbus traded forwards Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin and Corey Tropp, and a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft to Chicago.

In addition to Saad, the Blue Jackets received two prospects: center Alex Broadhurst and defenseman Michael Paliotta.

Saad can become a restricted free agent at noon ET on Wednesday, but Kekalainen said he is confident the 22-year-old forward will sign a long-term contract with Columbus, possibly even Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets have scheduled a teleconference with Saad for Wednesday morning.

Saad's eight goals were third on the Blackhawks in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 67 NHL playoff games, Saad has 34 points, including 15 goals.

"He's a winner," Kekalainen said. "We want winners here, and he's a proven winner. He's won two Stanley Cups. He's 22 years old and been a big part of it. He's got all the right tools. He's got size (6-foot-1, 204 pounds) and strength.

"He's exactly what we were looking for. He's going to be a big piece of our team for many, many years to come."

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Tuesday they are not in rebuilding mode.

During the past week the Bruins traded forward Milan Lucic and defenseman Dougie Hamilton for draft picks and prospects. Lucic's 44 points were third on the Bruins this season, and Hamilton's 42 points led Boston defensemen.

"I don't think it's a rebuild. We didn't strip this down," said Sweeney, who was promoted last month from assistant general manager to replace Peter Chiarelli. "We have a tremendous core group of guys that are going to obviously carry an even heavier load here in the short term while these other kids can come in and start to take footing. ... I've always referenced that we need patience in terms of development and then we also, we can't be impatient in terms of the integration."

Sweeney made another trade Tuesday, sending goaltender Martin Jones to the San Jose Sharks for a first-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and the rights to forward prospect Sean Kuraly.

Role players and depth defensemen are going to be the biggest currency of the day Wednesday when the 2015 NHL free agent market opens.

A big reason for that is most of the impact players who could be free agents have already signed new contracts with their current employers. Players in the free agent class of 2016 can begin signing extensions Wednesday, so it's time to take a look at the biggest names who can become unrestricted and restricted free agents a year from now.

There are plenty of impact players on these two lists, and any number of them signing a new contract could end up being the biggest news of the day and have the greatest lasting impact on a franchise.

Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in a draft-day trade Friday, will be looked upon to help their future franchise center to acclimate.

With forward Jack Eichel set to take the spotlight after the Sabres selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, coach Dan Bylsma will have O'Reilly, a six-year NHL veteran at the age of 24, to mentor him.

"It's flattering to be looked at that way," O'Reilly said Monday. "To come in with confidence in myself and them having confidence in me, it's definitely a huge honor and I'm looking forward to it."

ANAHEIM -- When Dallas Eakins was fired by the Edmonton Oilers last December, he retreated to his home in Vancouver and re-discovered a missing piece of his life: His family.

Gone was the scrutiny of trying to resurrect a storied franchise. No more five-game, eight-day road trips. Eakins settled into a normal life after coming to terms with his termination.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Eakins said. “It was very hard at the start. Time heals wounds. You know you’re away from the family. [I have] two little girls. I didn't know exactly how much I was missing out until these last six months. It’s a time I will never forget.”

Robin Lehner said Saturday becoming more mature will give him a better chance of establishing himself as a No. 1 goaltender with the Buffalo Sabres than he had with the Ottawa Senators.

Ottawa traded Lehner and forward David Legwand to Buffalo on Friday for the 21st pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

"Maybe that's something I have to work on, my maturity level," Lehner said in an interview published by the Ottawa Sun on Saturday. "... I don't know what happened, but I wasn't happy with the way things played out. I think I came out of the gate good every season, I'd play good, and then I didn't get to play anymore. That's something I've got to work on going forward. People have different opinions. I can only speak for myself, but that's my opinion."