So much for another big hockey boost. The NHL trade deadline came and went with a thud instead of a bang.

Not that anyone expected yesterday's 3 p.m. deadline to come anywhere close to the excitement of Canada's Olympic gold-medal win over the United States three days earlier, but it didn't even generate the buzz of previous trading days that created a "wow" factor.

It did, however, produce a couple of records.

There were a deadline-high 31 deals, mostly of the smaller variety, involving a record 55 players and 25 draft picks. But big-name players such as Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle, Carolina forward Ray Whitney, and New York Islanders goaltenders Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron stayed with their respective clubs, each of which is on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

It was the seventh straight deadline day in which at least 20 trades were completed. The previous record was 25, accomplished three straight years from 2006 to 2008. Last year's deadline set a record with 47 players switching teams.

Phoenix, which entered yesterday's games fifth in the Western Conference, made seven trades, and Anaheim pulled off five deals.

The day wasn't a total bust on the excitement scale as key players such as forward Raffi Torres, who went from Columbus to Buffalo, and defenseman Steve Staios, part of a rare trade between bitter Alberta rivals Edmonton and Calgary, found new homes in deals that could prove significant in time.

Calgary also traded center Riley Armstrong to Detroit for defenseman Andy Delmore.

Before trading away the popular Staios for defenseman Aaron Johnson and a third-round draft pick from the Flames, the Oilers acquired U.S. Olympian Ryan Whitney from Anaheim for fellow defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. Edmonton also gets a sixth-round pick in this year's draft. Whitney carries a salary cap price of $4million over the next three years.

The Olympic break and the salary cap were likely culprits for keeping the frenzy at the lower levels. Most of the deals made in the final hours involved players slated for unrestricted free agency that were moved by non-contending teams in exchange for draft picks.

Stars such as Ilya Kovalchuk (Thrashers to Devils), Dion Phaneuf (Flames to Maple Leafs) and Olli Jokinen (Flames to Rangers) were involved in trades before the NHL's two-week Olympic break that ended Monday. Only a few days of dealing were available to general managers after the freeze was lifted following the Vancouver Games.

One intriguing deal yesterday saw two players chosen in the first round of the draft swapped for each other. Phoenix acquired left winger Wojtek Wolski from Colorado for forward Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.

The 24-year-old Wolski has 17 goals and 30 assists this season in 62 games. The 21-year-old Mueller has had a disappointing follow-up to his outstanding rookie season. He has four goals and 13 assists in 54 games. Phoenix also reacquired defenseman Derek Morris from the Boston Bruins for a conditional 2011 draft pick. Morris was dealt to the New York Rangers by the Coyotes at last year's deadline.

Boston also traded right wingers Byron Bitz and Craig Weller and Tampa Bay's second-round pick in this year's draft to Florida for defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski.

Contenders, such as Philadelphia, were pressed up against the salary cap and either didn't have the money or the stockpile of draft picks to make significant upgrades to their rosters. Clubs have about 20 regular-season games remaining to make a playoff push.