DALLAS — Nazem Kadri was dealt. The other big-name centers on the market were not. It was almost like two victories in one day for the Colorado Avalanche.

Or, more like three after they beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 in a shootout hours after the deadline had passed. Not a bad little Friday.

In acquiring Kadri, the Avalanche not only improved their team down the middle, perhaps the most important position in hockey. They also blocked key Central Division opponents from doing the same. The Stars were one of the teams rumored to be interested in Kadri. It would have been tough for Dallas to fit Kadri’s contract into their cap structure, but general manager Jim Nill often finds a way.

This time, he did not.

Then you have the Minnesota Wild. Rumored to be in heavy pursuit of Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers, they couldn’t meet Chris Drury’s asking price, so Trocheck is staying put at least until the offseason. The Wild did add a center prior to the deadline, but Michael McCarron is a fourth-liner, not an impact player. The Wild with a Trocheck or Ryan O’Reilly would have been significantly more dangerous come April. They ended up with neither. Even the Mammoth, rumored to be in pursuit of Robert Thomas, didn’t add a center.

The games still must be played on the ice, but Colorado has put itself in a great position to take down both of the Central teams they must go through to make it out of the West. Everything worked out swimmingly for Chris MacFarland’s front office. Now it’s up for the players to get the job done.

Here are some other important storylines from this year’s trade deadline:

• If general manager’s don’t want players to utilize no-trade clauses they negotiated in their contracts, they shouldn’t be handing them out so willy-nilly. Two players — Tyler Myers and Colton Parayko — nixed trades that somehow had leaked out into the public. Don’t blame the players. They’re allowed to use the clauses they negotiated. Maybe general managers will be more careful giving out clauses like that in the future, because a surprisingly large amount of players have them.
• On that subject, it’s pretty messed up that multiple trades leaked prior to the players agreeing to waive their clauses. Some of them were approved by the players. Some weren’t. It comes across as a pressure tactic from front offices to get a deal across the finish line. Good on the players for using the rights they negotiated, but it didn’t need to be made public.
• There’s a very good argument to be made the four best teams in the Western Conference are in the Central Division. Utah added MacKenzie Weegar, a really solid top-four defenseman and gave up nothing of real consequence from their roster. The Pacific Division is a bit of a mess, and the Mammoth are on track to enter that portion of the playoff bracket if they stay in the top wild card position. That could work out in their favor.

• St. Louis looks ready to tear it all down and rebuild. The Blues got off to a strong start in that department, acquiring multiple first-round picks to kickstart their plan. They have more bodies to deal over the summer, as it sounds like Jordan Binnington, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou could be next.
• Don’t look now, but the Edmonton Oilers might be a potential first-round matchup for the Avalanche. They’re bleeding goals against and didn’t really do anything that could fix their problems. Tristan Jarry, whom they traded for in December, has a goals-against average of nearly four and is rocking a .862 save percentage with Edmonton. Yikes.
• Really difficult to get a read on the Los Angeles Kings’ plan. They traded away two forwards, then turned around to acquire a pending unrestricted free agent in Scott Laughton. Only Vancouver has fewer regulation wins in the West. At some point, you need to accept reality it isn’t your year.
• The Buffalo Sabres are a great story and it’s a shame that Parayko didn’t want to play there. He would have been a real nice fit joining a blue line that already has skilled defensemen like Rasmus Dahlin and Bowen Byram. It takes some time to rebuild the culture and if that team keeps winning, players will eventually want to go there.
• Vegas was oddly quiet. We’re not used to seeing that at the deadline.
• It was a good piece of business by Washington to get a first-round pick for John Carlson, but trading away a franchise legend in the middle of the night. (The trade was announced around 1 a.m. Eastern) That’s a little cold blooded. Probably some shocking news for Capitals fans over their morning coffee.

What I’m hearing

• The additions of Kadri and Nicolas Roy will make contract negotiations with Jack Drury this summer interesting. Jared Bednar mentioned Roy played some wing in Vegas, and I suspect he’ll do that a bit down the stretch for the Avalanche. But he’s a natural center. The Avalanche and Drury have talked contract during the season, but it sounds like there’s a gap in terms of what each side feels is fair.
• Bednar said he expects Artturi Lehkonen to play again in the regular season, although Lehkonen is still listed as week-to-week. “We sent him home off the trip to be able to rehab, get rest and try to speed that process along,” Bednar said.

What I’m seeing

• Ross Colton was a wrecking ball against Dallas on Friday, registering 10 hits in the game. That’s more of what the Avalanche want to see out of him. If and when this team is healthy, a third line of Colton, Kadri and Roy would be fascinating to watch.
• Brett Kulak has come as advertised and has not been on the ice for a single goal against at even strength. He’s a different style of player than Sam Girard, and you can tell he’s a lot more effective in front of the net and along the boards.

What I’m thinking

• It’s a tough business. Victor Olofsson played well in Colorado. But in order to fit in Kadri’s contract under the cap, he was sent to Calgary in the trade. Olofsson and his wife welcomed their second child to the world over the Olympics break, so the timing of the trade is less than ideal for them. He was always a delight to work with and Bednar seemed a little disappointed he had to go.
• It kind of feels like the Islanders are making the same mistake the Avalanche did after Patrick Roy’s first year as coach (and general manager). Instead of sticking with the process, they’re trading assets for aging players. A first- and third-round pick for 34-year-old Brayden Schenn seems a bit much, especially when you consider he’s having his worst season in years and is signed for three more at $6.5 million per-year.