Deadline is no big deal for Ducks

San Jose made its big move and Dallas boldly stated its intentions. Detroit didn’t sit idly by and Colorado tried to recapture some old magic.

What did the Ducks do at Tuesday’s NHL trade deadline? Nothing that made headlines across the league.

And that’s just fine with General Manager Brian Burke, who thinks he already has the pieces in place to defend their Stanley Cup title.

“Watching our team come together is like watching a bear wake up at the zoo,” Burke said. “He shakes his arms out and he shakes his legs out and it’s a process. But when he’s awake, he’s a bear.”

The Ducks were indeed active before the noon deadline. They acquired defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron from the New York Islanders and made their first trade ever with the rival Kings, obtaining backup goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin. Both deals involved draft picks, with the Ducks sending a third-round selection to the Islanders and a seventh-round pick to the Kings.

There were 25 trades involving 45 players but most of the headline action took place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, where several teams are trying to dethrone the Ducks.

San Jose addressed a need for a puck-moving defenseman by acquiring the skilled Brian Campbell from Buffalo for winger Steve Bernier and a first-round pick. Pacific Division-leading Dallas got center Brad Richards, a onetime playoff most valuable player, from Tampa Bay in a five-player deal.

Detroit, which leads the NHL with 89 points, got defenseman Brad Stuart from the Kings. After signing former star Peter Forsberg, Colorado got back two-time Cup-winning defenseman Adam Foote from Columbus and traded with Florida for former Ducks defender Ruslan Salei.

In the big picture, the Ducks believe they have already made their big moves. They’ve won nine of 10 since Teemu Selanne rejoined them and are 21-8-3 since Scott Niedermayer ended his brief fling with retirement. “I believe in our group and I trust our group,” Burke said.

The Ducks were looking for a center and were involved in the Mats Sundin sweepstakes. But Burke said the conversations with Toronto didn’t get far because the Maple Leafs insisted on getting Anaheim’s potentially high first-round pick this year, which is based on how Edmonton finishes this season.

Ultimately, Sundin did not waive his no-trade clause. Burke said he has faith in second-line center Doug Weight, who is sidelined because of a bad left shoulder but could be ready next week.

Burke said their No. 1 pick in a deep draft could have “tremendous value for this franchise over the next decade.

“Anaheim could have been the star easily on the deadline. We could have blown any other [deals] away. We could have made all the headlines.”

Bergeron, 27, further deepens the Ducks’ impressive defense corps and could challenge Kent Huskins or Sean O’Donnell for a spot in the lineup. He played alongside Chris Pronger during Edmonton’s run to the Cup final two seasons ago and put up nine goals and nine assists in 46 games with the Islanders this season.

Bergeron could benefit the Ducks now. Burke said Pronger needed surgery to repair a small fracture in his jaw after the defenseman was hit by the stick of Chicago winger Patrick Sharp in Sunday’s win over the Blackhawks.

Bergeron “provides us with depth in the event of an injury,” Burke said. “In my mind, it’s important in that he’ll give us skill and depth at the blue line.”

Aubin, 30, was expendable after the Kings called up Dan Cloutier from the minor leagues. He was 5-6-1 with a 3.19 goals-against average as Jason LaBarbera’s backup but the nine-year veteran has played in 218 NHL games.

Burke said Jonas Hiller remained the backup to Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Aubin will report to Portland (Maine) of the American Hockey League.

The Ducks also made two smaller deals, sending forward Brandon Bochenski to Nashville for future considerations and Brandon Segal and a seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay for defenseman Jay Leach in a swap of minor leaguers.

The biggest name at the deadline other than Sundin was high-scoring winger Marian Hossa, whom Atlanta shipped to Pittsburgh in a five-player deal. The Penguins hope that adding Hossa to current stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will lift them to the top of a wide-open Eastern Conference.

Washington made a big splash in its effort to make the playoffs, getting Sergei Fedorov from Columbus and goalie Cristobal Huet from Montreal.

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eric.stephens@latimes.com