It’s that time of year again where General Managers across the National Hockey League make last minute phone calls in order to acquire some key pieces for a potential run to the Stanley Cup. Other GMs, whose season is a lost cause, would look to sell some players to get some more room underneath the salary cap and build for next season – and beyond.

This year’s NHL trade deadline is four days away, so it’s only fitting that this week’s Throwback Thursday Top 10 highlights the best trade deadline deals of all time.

For this list, we included deals that took place in the 2-3 weeks leading up to deadline day and, obviously, the day itself. Sorry Patrick Roy, your 1995 deal to the Avalanche missed the cut by a few months, but if you wish, you may pull your goalie for the extra attacker in advance of the Avs next matchup against the Stars tomorrow night.

Now that the criteria is out of the way, let’s take a look at the top 10 trade deadline deals of all time.

10. Bruins add grizzly veteran Mark Recchi

For all the finger pointing directed at Peter Chiarelli this season, it’s important to realize that he acquired some key pieces during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2011. That core started with the acquisition of Mark Recchi in 2009 (and a 2010 second round pick) in exchange for Martins Karsmus and Matt Lashoff.

On Boston.com: Buy or sell? Chiarelli in tough spot

Recchi’s acquisition didn’t pay immediate dividends as the Bruins were eliminated in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes in the summer of 2009 and again by the Philadelphia Flyers one year later. In 2011, the then 43 year old played an important role and provided the Black and Gold with some much needed secondary scoring en route to the team’s first Stanley Cup triumph in 39 years.

9. Yzerman “steals” Ben Bishop

At the time, it seemed like the Senators and Lightning would benefit from a Ben Bishop for Cory Conacher swap. The latter was in the race for the Calder Trophy, while the former would get a fresh start after being lost in a goalie shuffle with Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner.

What a difference a year makes. Conacher fizzled out in Ottawa and would be claimed by the New York Islanders on waivers in December. Bishop earned a spot as a Vezina Trophy finalist, which was given to Tuukka Rask.

The Senators also got a fourth round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft that they used on Tobias Lindberg, who is one of the top prospects in their system.

8. Hossa goes to Penguins

At a time where Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were becoming the best duo in the NHL, the Penguins still needed a little extra spark if they wanted to be serious contenders for the Stanley Cup. That’s where Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis came in during a trade with the Winnipeg Jets Atlanta Thrashers on deadline day in 2008.

In return Atlanta received Colby Armstrong, Eric Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a 2008 first round pick (that would turn out to be Daultan Leveille). It’s safe to say that Ray Shero got the best of that one as the Penguins made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Red Wings in six games.

Hossa would sign a one-year deal with the Wings in the off-season and the Pens and Red Wings would meet again in the Cup Final a year later. Interestingly enough, Dupuis, Crosby, Malkin and company got the best of Hossa and the mighty Detroit squad in seven games.

Shortly after the series, Hossa left to sign a lengthy deal with the Chicago Blackhawks and played a vital part in their Stanley Cup triumphs in 2010 and 2013.

It seems like every party here would be happy after all – except for the Thrashers, who moved to Winnipeg in 2011, and Shero, who surprisingly lost his job after the Pens were eliminated in seven games by the New York Rangers last spring.

7. Red Wings boost their blue line in ’97

In the 1990’s, the Detroit Red Wings were one of the more feared opponents in the NHL. Come playoff time, however, they just couldn’t get over the hump for a few years.

That all changed in 1997 beginning with the acquisition of future Hall of Famer Larry Murphy from Toronto for future considerations.

Murphy knew a thing or two about winning a Stanley Cup having won back to back titles with the Penguins earlier in the decade. The then 35-year old defenseman gave the Red Wings some much needed depth on the blue-line and helped them get over the hump a few months later. A year later, he added his fourth Stanley Cup ring with Detroit and no team has repeated as champions since.

6. Kings nab Gaborik in ’14

Plagued by injuries throughout his career, Marian Gaborik rarely got to showcase his talents when he was acquired by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2013 trade deadline. One year later, the Los Angles Kings took a chance and grabbed him from Columbus in exchange for Matt Frattin and two draft picks.

The Kings benefitted immediately as Gaborik led the league in postseason goals with 14 providing a huge spark in their second cup triumph in three years. The Slovakian forward signed a seven-year deal with L.A. during the offseason.

5. Blues hit a high note with Brett Hull

In his first full season with the Calgary Flames, Brett Hull was starting to show the hockey world what he was all about. But early in his career, the former Minnesota-Duluth star was plagued by conditioning problems.

As a result, Hull, who had 50 points in 52 career games with the Flames, was dealt to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for goalie Rick Wamsley and defenseman Rob Ramage.

Ramage was an instrumental part of the Flames’ blue-line during the Flames’ only Stanley Cup victory in 1989, while Wamsley served as a backup to Mike Vernon during his tenure in Calgary.

Hull eventually got his conditioning straightened out and became one of the glorified scorers throughout the 1990’s. He got his first taste at the Stanley Cup in 1999 with the Dallas Stars – scoring the clinching triple overtime goal in Game 6 of the infamous “crease goal” in Buffalo – and added another in 2002 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

4. Rangers make a gutsy trades

In 1994, the Broadway Blueshirts knew they had a talented team, but they had some flaws with their bottom two lines.

Then Rangers GM Craig Smith would make a couple of decisions that shook up Manhattan. First they traded the team’s leading scorer at the time, Tony Amonte, to the Blackhawks in exchange for Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. Then, Smith would acquire Glenn Anderson – who played a key role in the Oilers’ 80’s dynasty with Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky – from Toronto in exchange for the speedy and talented Mike Gartner. Finally, Craig MacTavish was acquired from Edmonton for Todd Marchant to round out Smith’s day of trades.

Anderson, MacTavish and Anderson all played a vital part in the Rangers run to their first Cup title in 54 years, but Matteau’s double overtime game-winner against the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals solidified the trade and a moment that will live on in Blueshirt lore.

3. Isles acquire key piece to start early 80’s dynasty

Prior to his days as an Islander, Butch Goring spent his first 10 years as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. The four time 30-goal scorer was beginning to show a little decline as his best days were behind him…or so they thought.

In 1980, the New York Islanders added the veteran Goring in hopes of getting the final piece of the puzzle to make a run at the Stanley Cup – for former Bruins coach Dave Lewis and Billy Harris.

Goring was, indeed, that missing piece, as he tallied 19 points in the Islanders’ first Stanley Cup victory in 1980. The next season, he was named the Conn Smythe Award winner as Playoff MVP scoring 20 points.

Two more Stanley Cup wins for Goring and the Isles came in 1982 and 1983. Not bad for Long Island’s hockey squad.

2. A hometown hero leaves Boston

As Ray Bourque’s career was winding down, the longtime Bruins captain realized that Boston would not be the city where he would hoist the Stanley Cup. So, in 2000, the unthinkable happened as the legendary defenseman was dealt to Colorado along with fellow veteran Dave Andreychuk for Brian Rolston, Samuel Pahlsson, Martin Grenier and a first round pick (Martin Samuelsson).

Bourque’s first attempt with the Avs fell short when they fell to the defending Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars in seven games of the Western Conference Finals. But his second – and final attempt – was successful as Colorado defeated the 2000 champion New Jersey Devils in seven games.

Although Bruins fans would’ve loved to see Bourque lift the Stanley Cup as a member of the Black and Gold, they were behind their beloved defenseman throughout his run in Colorado. The image of him finally tasting the big silver cup is an image that is still up in many sports bars around the city.

1. Penguins put a halt to the “Brass Bonanza”

A year prior to the infamous trade with the Penguins, the Whalers were an up and coming squad with guys like Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson leading the way. They took the Bruins to the limit in the playoffs that season, even.

Less than 12 months later, Francis, Samuelsson and Grant Jennings were on their way to Pittsburgh in exchange for John Cullen, Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski (try saying that name three times fast).

Cullen and Zalapski did pretty well in Hartford, but Francis and Samuelsson – who many Bruins fans still remember as the guy that nearly ended Cam Neely’s career – highlighted the deal becoming key pieces for the Penguins in their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992.