Every year, it seems there's more and more pressure on elite NHL teams to make major trades before the deadline to mobilize for a run at the Stanley Cup. Sometimes, the hype and pressure never materialize in deals. Other times, when significant trades do occur, they don't yield the desired results -- like Colorado's acquisition of Theo Fleury two seasons ago, for example.

	Ron Francis registered 100 points in 97 playoff games for Pittsburgh after arriving in March of 1991.

"I think the big thing with making a change near the end of the year is that it freshens the dressing room a little bit," Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer said. "When you make a trade it gets everyone a little more excited."

While major trades may have changed the atmosphere in New Jersey's locker room last season, it was the end result that mattered most -- winning the Stanley Cup.

However, the 2000 Devils aren't the typical example of successful teams. In fact, very few teams in recent history made multiple deadline deals en route to winning the Cup.

There are no tried-and-true patterns for creating a Stanley Cup winner, especially through trades.

While the Devils' acquisition of Alexander Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov in separate trades near the March deadline were considered significant, they weren't necessarily deemed more important than the addition of Claude Lemieux the previous November.

Looking back at the transaction records of the last 10 Stanley Cup champions, only two (2000 Devils and 1994 Rangers) made more than one major deadline trade. Other teams made one significant trade -- 1991 Pittsburgh acquiring Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson in a deal with Hartford, for instance. Most of the dealing by Cup-winning franchises was minor and was done earlier in the title season or the season before.

1999 Dallas Stars
Two years ago, Dallas added Derek Plante and Benoit Hogue at the deadline. Those two fleet-footed forwards combined for three points and a minus-1 in the Cup finals, so it's safe to say that GM Bob Gainey had all necessary pieces -- Brett Hull, Mike Keane, Guy Carbonneau, Ed Belfour -- already in place.

1997, 1998 Detroit Red Wings
Dmitri Mironov was GM Ken Holland's only addition in 1998. But the year before, Detroit added vital components throughout the season. Brendan Shanahan arrived in October of 1996 in a huge trade with Hartford, which sent Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau and a first-round draft choice to the Whalers. Joe Kocur signed a little later as a free agent, and Tomas Sandstrom also was brought aboard before the late-season push.

Detroit acquired defenseman Larry Murphy at the 1997 deadline. Shanahan ended up leading the team with nine goals in the playoffs and Murphy was an astounding plus-16.

1996 Colorado Avalanche
Pierre Lacroix had an busy and productive year leading up to the 1996 title. But interestingly, all his major deals were made before Jan. 1. In a stretch of three months, Lacroix added Warren Rychel, Claude Lemieux, Sandis Ozolinsh, Patrick Roy and Mike Keane. His deadline deals that season brought in Vesa Viitakoski and Dave Hannan -- not exactly vital cogs as Viitakoski didn't play in the postseason and Hannan had just two assists.

Meanwhile, Roy and Lemieux solidified their status as playoff heroes. Ozolinsh had 19 points (5-14-19) in the postseason. Rychel and Keane helped Mike Ricci give the team the grit the team badly needed.

1995 New Jersey Devils
In 1994-95, the Devils obtained Shawn Chambers in March. The only other notable pick-up that season was Neal Broten, who was acquired from Dallas in a trade for Corey Millen that February. Unlike the Red Wings and Avalanche, who had built their teams through trades, most of the Devils players were brought up through the system or acquired several years before.

1994 New York Rangers
The Rangers' roster constantly changed throughout the 1993-94 season. Ultimately, those changes led to the team's success. In three separate trades on March 21, 1995, GM Neil Smith acquired Craig MacTavish from Edmonton, Glenn Anderson from Toronto, and Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan from Chicago.

Mark Messier's guaranteed victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against New Jersey might be the most lasting memory of that year, the title wouldn't have been possible without "Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!" in Game 7. Matteau scored two double-overtime goals against New Jersey. Anderson (3-3-6) and MacTavish (1-4-5) didn't have great numbers in the playoffs, but Anderson scored two game-winning goals in the finals against Vancouver.

1993 Montreal Canadiens
For the Canadiens' improbable run in 1992-93, Rob Ramage hardly qualifies as a team-changing March acquisition. Neither does the acquisition of Gary Leeman in January. The biggest moves the Canadiens made were during the summer when Vincent Damphousse and Brian Bellows arrived in separate trades.

1991, 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins
Both Pittsburgh teams made significant deals after the New Year, but nothing of the dramatic nature of the 1994 Rangers or 2000 Devils. In 1991, the Penguins added Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson at the deadline. But just as vital to that team were the acquisitions of Larry Murphy, Peter Taglianetti, Jiri Hrdina and Scott Young the previous December. Obtaining Joe Mullen from Calgary for a draft pick the previous summer may be the ultimate bargain basement deal.

The Penguins added depth for their second Stanley Cup in the '90s. Rick Tocchet, Kjell Samuelsson and Ken Wregget were obtained in February from Philadelphia. Tocchet scored 19 points in 15 playoff games, Samuelsson was a mainstay on the blueline and Wregget was a capable back up for Tom Barrasso.

As a member of playoff teams in Montreal and Philly and a Cup winner with Pittsburgh in 1991, Flyers forward Mark Recchi has been involved with the various approaches to deadline dealing. His analysis: "Some teams are content with what they have and others really make a push."

If only it were that simple.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.