updated 11:37 a.m. ET Feb. 28, 2007

The New York Islanders kept their leading scorer and nabbed the guy that makes the Edmonton Oilers go.

Just minutes before the NHL trading deadline expired Tuesday afternoon, the Islanders plucked Ryan Smyth away from the Oilers after deciding to hold onto Jason Blake.

New York’s big deal trumped those made earlier in the day that sent Bill Guerin from the St. Louis Blues to the San Jose Sharks, Todd Bertuzzi from Florida to Detroit, and longtime Kings captain Mattias Norstrom from Los Angeles to Dallas.

True to form, the final dealing day of the season was very busy. The 25 trades made in the final six hours before the deadline matched last year for the most active in NHL history. The 30 clubs moved 44 players, two shy of the mark set in 2003.

Islanders general manager Garth Snow is still a novice in his job after serving as the team’s backup goalie just last season, but he pulled off a trade that could propel New York into the postseason. He mulled offers for Blake, an impending unrestricted free agent this summer, and then pounced when Smyth became available when contract talks with the Oilers broke down.

“To get a player of Ryan Smyth’s character and leadership is just great,” Islanders coach Ted Nolan said. “He’s a true leader, he’s a gritty playoff performer, and he’s everything we wanted to instill in this organization.”

Blake was happy to be staying put, especially with Smyth on the way.

“I never wanted to go anywhere in the first place,” Blake said. “It’s going to be exciting here. I can’t remember in all my time here when this team made a move like this. I definitely think the Islanders are headed in the right direction.”

The price was steep for the Islanders, especially if the 31-year-old left winger, signs elsewhere after the season. Smyth leaves Edmonton after 11-plus seasons in which he grew into the heart and soul of the Oilers and less than a year after he helped the club to a surprising run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

New York sent first-round picks Robert Nilsson (2003) and Ryan O’Marra (2005), along with the Islanders’ first-round choice in this year’s draft to Edmonton for Smyth, who has 31 goals and 53 points in 53 games this season.

“Wow. That’s shocking,” said Guerin, Smyth’s teammate with the Oilers for four seasons. “He’s a guy that I thought would be there forever, and he probably thought that, too. He gave everything he had to the organization, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out.”

While that one came as a surprise, Guerin’s departure didn’t. The rugged forward’s days in St. Louis were clearly short because of his upcoming unrestricted free agent status, and it became more clear that he wouldn’t be staying once the Blues dealt Keith Tkachuk to Atlanta a few days before the deadline.

“I’m thrilled,” Guerin said. “This is one of those teams that was on my radar. I am very happy to be going there. You have certain expectations and places that you want to go, so it was easy (to agree to the trade). When it was presented to me, it was a no-brainer.”

Ask the NHL Expert: Kevin Dupont Don't chuckle, Canucks will finally win first Cup E-mail your questions

Two days earlier, the Sharks acquired veteran defenseman Craig Rivet from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Josh Gorges and their own first-round pick.

The Sharks, who entered the day tied for fifth in the Western Conference after a recent slump, sent left wing Ville Nieminen, college forward Jay Barriball and New Jersey’s first-round pick, which they acquired last year, to the rebuilding Blues.

“Billy has been a true professional on and off the ice this season and we felt it was in the best interest or him and the Blues to trade him to a playoff contender,” Blues president John Davidson said.

Bertuzzi, best known for his blindside hit to the head of former Colorado player Steve Moore that drew the rugged forward a 17-month suspension, was traded by the Panthers after playing only seven games with them in an injury-plagued season.

NHL trade deadline      Discuss: Sound off on moves  |  Trade list Plenty of trades, but few big names move Flames spark Cup talk by acquiring Jokinen Penguins get Guerin to help out Crosby Bruins hope Recchi can help in playoff run Expert: Sather's roll of the dice unlikely to work Rotoworld: Winners, losers  |  Blog Opinion: Some solid under-the-radar moves Clement: Biggest trade winners since '90

The Panthers acquired forward Shawn Matthias and up to two conditional draft picks in the deal. If Bertuzzi signs with Detroit after this season, the Red Wings will part with one pick this year and another next year.

Bertuzzi, acquired by Florida from Vancouver for top goalie Roberto Luongo on draft day last year, hasn’t played since he had lower back surgery in November.

“Bertuzzi is a huge, talented man that adds the dimensions of size and skill that we need on one of our top two lines,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock told The Associated Press.

The Buffalo Sabres took a big step toward replenishing their injury-ravaged lineup by making four deadline-day deals. The biggest brought forward Dainius Zubrus to town from Washington.

The Sabres also dealt backup goalie Martin Biron to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second-round pick and then acquired Columbus Blue Jackets’ backup goalie Ty Conklin for a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.

Along with Zubrus, a consistent offensive forward, Buffalo also landed prospect defenseman Timo Helbling. The Sabres dealt rookie forward Jiri Novotny, who’s ready to return from a high ankle sprain, and a first-round pick to the Capitals.

The Sabres then traded a fourth-round draft pick to Nashville for minor league defenseman Mikko Lehtonen.

In other deals:

• Anaheim traded goalie Michael Wall to Colorado for left winger Brad May; and dealt defenseman Joe Rullier to Tampa Bay for defenseman Doug O’Brien.
• Boston traded center Brad Boyes to St. Louis for defenseman Dennis Wideman.
• Chicago sent left winger Karl Stewart and a sixth-round pick in the 2008 draft to Tampa Bay for right wing Nikita Alexeev. Tampa Bay also acquired right winger Jason Ward for a fifth-round pick.
• New Jersey traded defenseman David Hale and a fifth-round pick to Calgary for a third-round draft selection.
• Phoenix sent left winger Oleg Saprykin and a seventh-round draft choice to Ottawa for a second-round pick next year. The Coyotes also dealt center Yanic Perreault and a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft to Toronto for defenseman Brendan Bell and a second-round selection next year.
• San Jose traded right winger Scott Parker to Colorado for a sixth-round pick next year.
• Washington dealt defenseman Jamie Heward to Los Angeles for a conditional pick in 2008.

Norstrom, the Kings captain since 2002, was sent with right wing Konstantin Pushkarev and two draft picks to the Dallas Stars for defenseman Jaroslav Modry and three draft choices.

Norstrom is the team’s career leader in games played among defensemen with 780. He has two goals, seven assists and 40 penalty minutes in 62 games this season.

“Mattias solidifies our defensive group and also adds character and veteran leadership to our locker room,” Stars general manager Doug Armstrong said. “We look for him to make an immediate impact on this hockey club as we push towards the playoffs.”

MORE FROM NHL

NHL Section Front

Sendin, Luongo lead Canucks past Kings Bruins LW Lucic sidelined up to 4 weeks Breaking down the perfect NHL player Live odds Matchups/Injuries Vote: Who will win the Stanley Cup? Rotoworld: Latest NHL player news, rumors, more Team-by-team transactions Full coverage of every team   Slideshow: Check out Ice Girls from around league NHL Section Front   Add NHL headlines to your news reader: