Even the best NHL teams must make roster changes before achieving the ultimate goal, but the moves made by the past five Cup champs are highlighted by small tweaks, not big swings.

As trade rumors swirl around big names including Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom and Jake Guentzel, it’s worth taking a look back at what worked at the deadline for the teams that wound up going all the way.

Sometimes the secret ingredient is a star goal-scorer and other times it’s just a stay-at-home defenseman. It all depends on a team’s individual needs.

It’s difficult to decipher a true pattern, but one commonality the past five Stanley Cup champions share is their avoidance of the biggest fish on the market. Their successes mostly came from making adjustments on the fringes of their rosters.

Before diving in, we need some parameters to qualify these trades. For a trade to count as a “deadline” deal, it had to have occurred within one month of the trade deadline itself. Big swings made in the off-season won’t cut it (we’re looking at you, Ryan O’Reilly). Also, swaps for minor-league players or pick-for-pick deals are off the table. Lastly, if the acquired player didn’t suit up with the team between the trade and lifting the Cup, they won’t be seen here.

So, here’s a look at trade-deadline moves made by the past five Stanley Cup champions, and maybe some lessons for future winners, too:

2018-19 St. Louis Blues

Acquired:

D Michael Del Zotto from ANA for 2019 sixth-round pick

When things are working, sometimes the best thing you can do is leave it be. That was the call that Blues GM Doug Armstrong made after watching his team go 18-5-2 after being dead-last in the NHL on Jan. 2. That’s when he pulled the trigger on Del Zotto, who appeared in all of zero playoff games for the Blues but did average 13 minutes in seven regular-season games. The biggest swing had already been made, as Armstrong swung a deal with the Buffalo Sabres in the summer of 2018 to bring eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis. This was one of the least impactful trade deadlines in recent history for a Cup winner, but the 2018-19 Blues hardly fit the normal archetype of a Stanley Cup champion after rising from the league’s basement.

2019-20 Tampa Bay Lightning

Acquired:

RW Blake Coleman from NJ for LW Nolan Foote, conditional 2020 first-round pick

C Barclay Goodrow, 2020 third-round pick from SJ for RW Anthony Greco, 2020 first-round pick

After a shocking sweep in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019, the Lightning knew they needed to keep tinkering with their depth. The cost was high for both Coleman and Goodrow, but they delivered the grit and depth scoring that Tampa Bay sorely lacked the previous spring. Both Coleman and Goodrow played in all 25 post-season games and chipped in 13 and six points, respectively. Plus, they both returned to help the Bolts lift the Cup the next year before the inevitable contender cap crunch forced them out of town.

2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning

Acquired:

D David Savard from CLB for 2021 first-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick, 2022 third-round pick

With the aforementioned pieces still in place, Tampa Bay had no reason to mess with its championship-proven roster. Still, GM Julien Brisebois opted to beef up his defense corps with the physically punishing Savard. His offensive contributions were minimal, as expected, but he wore the opposition down with his rugged play in sheltered minutes. Slow deadlines like these are a luxury that defending champions can afford.

2021-22 Colorado Avalanche

Acquired:

D Josh Manson from ANA for D Drew Helleson, 2023 third-round pick

C Nico Sturm from MIN for C Tyson Jost

C Artturi Lehkonen from MTL for D Justin Barron, 2024 second-round pick

LW Andrew Cogliano from SJ for 2024 fifth-round pick

This is the biggest flurry of deadline moves made by a recent Cup champ, and it takes the cake. Lehkonen went full clutch-mode, scoring the overtime dagger against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the West final to send Colorado to the Cup final. To put the cherry on top, he notched the Cup-clinching goal for the Avs against Tampa Bay in Game 6 of the final. Your trade-deadline acquisition can’t be much more impactful than that. All told, Lehkonen potted eight goals that spring, tied for fourth on the team. Cogliano played a vital role in the bottom six and collected three points in the final, including scoring a goal that forced overtime in Game 4, assisted by none other than Sturm. In addition, Manson logged upwards of 17 minutes a game for the Avs and posted eight points. GM Joe Sakic played this deadline to perfection.

2022-23 Vegas Golden Knights

Acquired:

LW Ivan Barbashev from STL for C Zach Dean

C Teddy Blueger from PIT for D Peter Diliberatore, 2024 third-round pick

G Jonathan Quick from LA for G Michael Hutchinson, 2025 seventh-round pick

Of all the players on this list, none scored as many playoff points for their new team as the 18 that Barbashev racked up on Vegas’ top line. GM Kelly McCrimmon took advantage of the Blues’ salary dump and added the perfect complement to Jack Eichel and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault. That line registered 69 combined points en route to the Cup. Plus, nabbing two-time Cup champion Quick as an insurance policy for a precarious goaltending carousel was smart, even if they didn’t end up needing it. Blueger saw limited action in just six playoff games but managed two points.