0 of 6 The lead-in seemed endless. But once it arrived, the day was kind of a blur. The NHL's annual trade deadline came and went Monday with something between a bang and a whimper. There was the long-awaited move of last fall's highest-profile free agent as well as a bevy of lesser deals that, if precedent holds, could be the ones responsible for galvanizing a championship team. Top-line buzz was provided by Taylor Hall, who'd stunned the hockey world by signing with Buffalo in October before suffering through a historically bad season with the Sabres and managing just two goals and 19 points in 37 games. He's off to a new competitive life with the Boston Bruins, who acquired Hall and journeyman Curtis Lazar in exchange for 24-year-old winger Anders Bjork and a second-round pick in July's draft.