By the Numbers: A look at the trade deadline, and the days leading up to it

The NHL Trade Deadline came and went Monday, and, aside from a flurry of activity after 3 p.m. (13 deals were announced following the deadline), it was certainly a day containing very little drama.

NHL trade deadline day is like Christmas, if your mean parents made you talk about your presents all morning without ever opening anything.

- Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) February 29, 2016

There were a pair of trades - Mikkel Boedker to the Colorado Avalanche, and Kris Russell to the Dallas Stars - with real consequence, but it was otherwise another over-hyped morning and afternoon that continued a recent trend of inaction on the final trading day of the season.

Since an absolutely insane 31-trade deadline day in 2009-10, there has been a downswing ever since, with the exception of last season. Over the last six years, there has been an average of 19 trades on deadline day, which matches Monday's total.

With the Chicago Blackhawks (buyers) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (sellers) serving as prime examples, it's becoming evident that the trade deadline is no longer about one specific day, but more so about the plethora of moves in the days leading up to it.

Related: NHL Trade Deadline 2016 Tracker

Starting from when the Maple Leafs sent Shawn Matthias to the Avalanche on Feb. 21, there were just as many trades in the eight days leading up to the deadline than the actual day itself.

In fact, more players were traded during the aforementioned eight-day period than on the deadline.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that stood out from the 38 deals was the draft picks involved:

There was only one first-round draft pick exchanged - in the Andrew Ladd deal. However, there were nine second-round picks involved in trades, accounting for 27 percent of the 33 picks that were dealt.

The value of a first-round pick has never been higher than this season, perhaps due to a deep, top-heavy draft class. The price for a rental player has also dropped significantly, which can certainly be attributed to a lack of star power available on the market.

(Advanced stats courtesy: War-On-Ice)

The top seven point producers - all forwards - traded since Feb. 21 head into play Tuesday on pace for an average of 47 points over a full 82-game season. That's a very underwhelming total, making it evident that many teams aren't interested in selling off their top assets for what is, in many cases a depth addition for a playoff run. However, that didn't stop a group of sellers and buyers from remaining active, albeit with many minor deals.

As big-name players in Steven Stamkos and Dustin Byfuglien came off the market, and the likes of Jonathan Drouin and Dan Hamhuis stayed put, there were certainly deals with blockbuster potential that quite simply never came to fruition. Although this surely had an effect on Monday's trade deadline, it's becoming increasingly evident that it is no longer about one specific day. The biggest deals, which are not anywhere near as significant as they once were, will ultimately come in the days leading up to it.

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