At the trade deadline, hockey experts differed as to what team made the best deal. The answer to that question won't be fully known until someone lifts the Stanley Cup over their heads this June. But with the regular season winding down, we can make a "midterm" assessment of the three biggest acquisitions at the deadline and the San Jose Sharks are by far the biggest winner so far.

The Sharks acquired defenseman Brian Campbell from the Buffalo Sabres for forward Steve Bernier and a number one draft pick in next year's draft. Bernier scored two goals in his Sabres debut, but hasn't scored since and has a total of two goals and eight points in 14 games with the Sabres. It looks very much like the Sabres will miss the playoffs this season after winning the President's Trophy a year ago, although Bernier has the potential to become a solid top-six forward.

The Sharks' transformation since acquiring Campbell has been amazing. In 17 games since the deal, San Jose has gone 15-0-2. That means that with Campbell in the lineup, the Sharks have picked up a point in every game they have played. The surge has allowed the Sharks to clinch the Pacific Division title and they still have a mathematical chance to catch the Red Wings and capture the top seed in the Western Conference.

Before the trade, the Sharks were beginning to find themselves and the improved play of young veterans Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau was an important part of that. But since Campbell arrived, the Sharks have taken their game to another level.

If anybody doubts Campbell's contribution, you can look at the numbers or ask his teammates. The numbers don't lie; in 17 games, the 28-year-old Strathroy, Ontario, native has two goals and 14 assists and is +10.

Campbell's efforts have been highly appreciated by his fellow Sharks. When asked what Campbell would add to the lineup, forward Mike Grier, who also played with Campbell in Buffalo, told the San Jose Mercury News, "He just reads the play so well. He's gotten more physical and he's better in his own end. Put all those things together with the confidence he's playing with, and he's become a much, much better player."

With the Sharks, coach Ron Wilson has noticed the difference Campbell has made to the team. "He loves to have the puck, and it's changed our game," Wilson told the Canadian Press. "A little less dump-and-chase and fore-checking, and more into a controlled attack through the neutral zone. We'll still use our size up front and fore-check, but we have to dump the puck less."

The fans of San Jose quickly took to Campbell. In his first home game at the Shark Tank, the flashy defenseman scored a goal on a spin-o-rama and added an assist in an exciting 6-4 Sharks win over the Canadiens. At the end of the game, the fans chanted "Sign him, Sign Him!" while Campbell did a postgame interview broadcast at the arena.

The question remains whether or not the Sharks will keep Campbell beyond this July 1st, when he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. The Sharks do have the cap room to keep Campbell in the Bay Area, but whether or not they'll spend the money to sign him remains to be seen.

Even if Campbell is gone after this year, the trade would be considered a success if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup this spring. For the past few years, San Jose has been considered a favorite to win the Cup only to be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. If the Sharks fail to advance deep into the playoffs and Campbell leaves via free agency, the deal will be considered a failure despite the A+ midterm grade.

For now, the Sharks are thrilled with what Campbell adds to their lineup. "He's put a new dimension in our game," top center Joe Thornton told the Canadian Press. "He's doing a lot of things we needed, and he's doing them well every game. It's great to get to play with him after all this time."

While the Sharks' mid-term grade is an A+, the Dallas Stars get a C. They added Brad Richards from Tampa Bay, the most touted acquisition at the deadline. Richards burst onto the scene with the Stars, picking up five assists in his debut, a 7-4 thrashing of the Chicago Blackhawks. Since then, however, Richards has just two goals and four assists in 11 games. More importantly, the Stars have struggled, going just 3-7-2 since Richards was added to the roster. The Stars are almost locked into the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings which means they will almost certainly start the playoffs on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, no small challenge to say the least.

Richards has struggled to find his niche with the Stars. He is presently playing on the Stars' third line with Loui Eriksson and Antti Miettinen. The adjustment period came as no surprise to Dallas coach Dave Tippett, who told the Dallas Morning News on the day Richards was acquired, "There's going to be a break-in process. It will take time to see where he fits, and it will take time for us to adjust to losing the players who moved out. He might be on one line one night and another line the next night, or he could be on different lines in the same game. It will be a process."

The best part for the Stars is that they have time to work out the process. Richards is under contract for three more seasons so his impact can be assessed over the long term. In the short term, the trading away of backup goalie Mike Smith in this deal may have contributed to making Marty Turco tired down the stretch. Tippett has shown no confidence in newly acquired backup Johan Holmqvist, who came over in the Richards deal. Holmqvist has been a non-factor and has played only 20 minutes in a Dallas uniform which means Turco has to carry the load by himself.

The third big deadline deal was the Penguins acquisition of sniper Marian Hossa. The Pens get a B at the midterm. As a team, Pittsburgh has played well since the trade deadline and are on the verge of clinching the Atlantic Division title and at least the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Hossa, however, has been felled by injuries and has appeared in just ten games, contributing just three goals and five assists. Further injuries to Sidney Crosby have prevented Hossa from playing with the center the Pens planned to team him with.

“Yeah, it’s been kind of tough,” Crosby said after Sunday's win over the Rangers. “But we’re going to continue to get better, I think. The chemistry’s there, we’ve just got to make sure we take advantage of our chances.”

On paper, a line containing Crosby and Hossa would be one of the deadliest in the league. The question now becomes whether or not the two superstars have the time to get comfortable playing with each other before the playoffs start.

Like Campbell, Hossa is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Unlike the Sharks, the Penguins lack the cap room to sign Hossa without losing some key players, including starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and possibly Evgeni Malkin. Hossa's final grade with the Pens will likely be determined exclusively in this year's playoffs.

So far, the Sharks have gotten the best of the three major trade deadline deals. We'll know who really got the best deal (short-term at least) this June and it will depend on who does the best in the playoffs this spring. The real winner will be whoever wins the Stanley Cup.