Judging from this past summer’s draft and free agency period, there was a particular interest at the trade deadline on whether or not Don Sweeney would strike a deal. Instead, the first-year Bruins GM settled for some smaller upgrades.

His acquisitions of John-Michael Liles from Carolina (for Anthony Camara, a 2016 third round pick and 2017 fifth rounder) and Lee Stempniak from New Jersey (for a 2016 second round pick and 2017 fourth rounder), are minor compared to his draft day trading extravaganza with Milan Lucic going to Los Angeles and Dougie Hamilton being shipped to Calgary — both for first round picks. They weren’t as eyebrow-raising as Zac Rinaldo — who was sent to Providence on Monday — being acquired from the Flyers for a future third-round pick.

What it is, however, is a signal that the Black and Gold have a long road ahead of them entering the stretch run. It also shows that they are satisfied in keeping pending UFA Loui Eriksson for the short-term while risking him walking for nothing.

With that in mind, here are some post-deadline thoughts.

Ball is in Loui’s court

After Chicago upgraded its roster for another run at the Cup, most notably acquiring Andrew Ladd from Winnipeg, the price was set high for Sweeney to cash in on shipping Eriksson. But nothing came to fruition.

Instead, the focus is now on trying to re-sign Eriksson to a contract extension. The two teams are still far apart in terms of dollars and sense. The Bruins GM admitted the past two days that he wants to keep the 30-year-old Swede, but he certainly won’t break the bank.

“In all honesty, I’ve evaluated over the course of months as to whether or not Loui was going to be signed before the deadline. We’ve been in contract negotiations and we’ll continue to talk with Loui and his group,” Sweeney said during his post-trade deadline press conference at TD Garden on Monday. “I’ve always valued the type of player Loui is and the season that he’s having is important to where our club is, and if the deal wasn’t going to be right, then we were going to maintain our position.

Pending RFA Torey Krug is due for a longer-term deal after signing two one-year contract extensions before the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. Leading goal-scorer Brad Marchand will command a lengthy extension and price before becoming a UFA at the end of 2016-17 — the same season that David Pastrnak’s entry level deal expires.

Where Loui fits in as a core member of the Bruins’ future is unknown. Eriksson’s value, however, won’t be as high if Sweeney is able to deal his negotiating rights to another team before July 1.

Minor upgrades trump retool for now

Adding Stempniak, the Devils’ leading scorer entering Monday, certainly gave the Bruins a little more depth with their top nine. Many projected lineups peg him with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron tomorrow night against Calgary. He is an upgrade in that regard to the struggling Brett Connolly, who former Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli acquired at last year’s deadline.

In Liles, the Bruins get a minor upgrade on D. He can still move the puck decently up the ice, an area that has been plaguing the B’s. But the bigger issue with the blue-line is stopping their opponents and Liles’ play in his own end is just as head scratching as some of the other Bruins’ defensemen who have struggled all season long.

Four draft picks were swapped in deals for two pending UFA’s both north of 30. Those moves are pretty puzzling if you ask Bruins fans.

Making the playoffs is a priority for this team, however, and the Bruins need to work with what they have if they want to avoid another spring without postseason hockey.

“Clearly we wanted to continue to add to this hockey club,” Sweeney said.

“It’s about the right deal. This team has performed as such that we’re in a pretty good position and to try to take care of business between now and the end. And I think that’s important. We’ve said all along that we’re going to be a very competitive hockey club and we expect to be in playoff positioning within the next 19 games.”

Tough road ahead for Bruins

As much as Sweeney is trying to sell his current club with the stretch run looming, the Bruins have a difficult schedule ahead. Just this week alone, the Bruins will host two Stanley Cup contenders in Chicago and Washington. The very next week, they travel to Florida to face the Panthers and the same Lightning squad that struck for four unanswered goals in Sunday’s win. Later, they’ll travel to California to face the Kings, Ducks and Sharks — all three defeated the Bruins at home the first time they played them.

Need any more evidence on the Bruins schedule? Well, Sportsnet’s tweet says it all:

Toughest remaining strength of schedule:

1. Bruins .591
2. Penguins .585
3. Stars .579
4. Rangers.576
5. Blues .573#NHLTrade

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 29, 2016

For the Bruins to make the playoffs, they’re going to need to play their best hockey of the season. It’s hard to see that happening in a season where significant portions have been a case of one step forward and two steps back.

Monday’s deadline was just another example of that see-saw year on Causeway Street.