The NHL trade deadline has come and gone. As the dust settles, let’s evaluate Wednesday’s deals and determine who helped and hurt their odds.

The Washington Capitals were the most active on deadline day, acquiring four players. It’s clear the Caps were looking for a little grit and character heading into the postseason, and they got some with Scott Walker. The former Carolina Hurricane won’t have any problems playing physical, mixing it up with opponents and being a positive presence in the dressing room. Washington also added Minnesota Wild center Eric Belanger and Hurricanes defenseman Joe Corvo. Belanger is a solid playmaker who adds depth, while Corvo is an offensive talent that will relieve some pressure from Caps stalwart Mike Green. The Capitals are getting +375 odds to win the Stanley Cup at SportsBetting.com, and they certainly didn’t hurt themselves at the deadline; this is a dangerous team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a relatively quiet move that improves their Stanley Cup odds with the acquisition of Alex Ponikarovsky. The Pens surrendered nothing from their current roster for the forward, and “Poni” has 19 goals this season despite playing for the offensive wasteland known as the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ponikarovsky is usually good for about 20 goals a year and, with some actual talent around him, he could be a very nice piece down the stretch. Remember, Pittsburgh has had success with these small deadline deals before—just ask Bill Guerin. At +400 at SportsBetting.com, you really have to like the defending champs’ chances on Stanley Cup odds this year.

Colorado has been a surprise this year, currently sitting sixth in the Western Conference, and the Avs made a move Wednesday by shipping Wojek Wolski out of town for Phoenix’s Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. Wolski has 17 goals this season and, at age 24, has lots of room left for growth. In return, Colorado fetched the struggling Mueller. The former Coyote has only four goals this season and has regressed since his 22-goal campaign as a rookie in 2007-08. The Avalanche were a longshot with +2000 odds at SportsBetting.com but, after making this deal, they’ve taken a step back.

At the other end of the spectrum, Phoenix made a few smaller deals that could help its dark-horse chances. Wolski stands out as the top acquisition of the day, but Phoenix also added Lee Stempniak from the Leafs. Stempniak bombed with the Leafs, but he once had a 27-goal season and could offer a bit of extra scoring to the lineup. The Coyotes also traded for a few veteran defensemen in Derek Morris and Mathieu Schneider. Both are past their primes, but they add some depth and didn’t really cost much to bring it—they’re at least worth a look. Phoenix is a major underdog on Stanley Cup futures at +2000, but one of 2009-10’s most surprising teams certainly got a boost on deadline day with these deals.