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# The Best and Worst of Brian Burke: Trades Numero Uno
- URL: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/the-best-and-worst-of-brian-burke-trades-numero-uno/
- Published: 2012-06-21T12:22:55.000Z
- Updated: 2012-06-21T12:22:55.000Z
- Author: Colin Odneal
- Tags: Analysis, #chorus, #Import 2023-04-05 11:43

It's finally come to this. The best and the worst trades that Brian Burke has ever engineered as the [Toronto Maple Leafs](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/toronto-maple-leafs?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) GM. Recap.

**Worst Trades**

#4 - [Kris Versteeg](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/56131/kris-versteeg?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) to PHI for a 2011 1st and 2nd and a 3rd and the wreckage of the Titantic and 7 pre-licked lollipops.

#3 - [Jiri Tlusty](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54287/jiri-tlusty?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) to CAR for the rights to [Philippe Paradis](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/71836/philippe-paradis?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

#2 - [Pavel Kubina](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54325/pavel-kubina?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) and [Tim Stapleton](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54311/tim-stapleton?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) to ATL for Garnet Exebly and [Colin Stuart](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/55460/colin-stuart?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

And the worst trade Brian Burke has made while GM of the Maple Leafs?

June 24th, 2011

To Toronto: 2011 1st round pick (#22 - [Tyler Biggs](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/132282/tyler-biggs?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com))

To Anaheim: 2011 1st round pick (#30 - [Rickard Rakell](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/132290/rickard-rakell?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)), 2011 2nd round pick (#39 - [John Gibson](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/132393/john-gibson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com))

> Dealing a second round pick to move up eight spots in the draft isn’t what makes this deal craptacular. No, what makes this deal craptacular is using the higher pick to draft a player whose upside is the third line. Hyperbole runs high at the draft, where every player is a hybrid of the games' previous greats, "He has Stevie Y's touch and MacInnis’ booming shot." Yet in the land of hyperbole, TSN says Tyler’s Bigg’s is the next [Kyle Clifford](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/88262/kyle-clifford?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com).

Trade so bad make you slap yo momma. We've talked at great length about how bad this trade is and my eyes start to bleed if I think about it too much so I won't.

Take the jump for the best trade Brian Burke has made.

Recap.#4 - Lebda, Slaney, and a 4th to NSH for Lombardi and Franson

#3 - A 2nd to COL for [John-Michael Liles](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/55475/john-michael-liles?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

#2 - [Francois Beauchemin](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54518/francois-beauchemin?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) to ANA for [Jake Gardiner](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/130014/jake-gardiner?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), [Joffrey Lupul](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/55006/joffrey-lupul?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), and a 2013 4th round pick

The best trade Brian Burke ever pulled off as GM of the Maple Leafs?

January 31, 2010

To Toronto: [Keith Aulie](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/68754/keith-aulie?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), [Dion Phaneuf](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54651/dion-phaneuf?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), [Fredrik Sjostrom](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54195/fredrik-sjostrom?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

To Calgary: [Niklas Hagman](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54285/niklas-hagman?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), [Jamal Mayers](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54293/jamal-mayers?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), [Matt Stajan](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54288/matt-stajan?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), [Ian White](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54283/ian-white?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

> You know the stories about someone that starts out with a paperclip and trades it up for a house? That’s what this trade is like – the Leafs moved a bunch of scrap parts and ended up with a million dollar home in Vancouver. Interestingly, that million dollar home is either a crack den or a palace with great potential, depending on who you ask. (Crack den).
> 
> Says a lot about the last 4 years when the team’s best move is a pile of scraps for a 2D on a bad contract…

There you have it. The best and worst trade of Burke's tenure. [The complete rankings for all 40 trades can be found here.](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlBZxpXinYkCdHphMzRZLUVQeGxPRjQzbjdDU1pORlE&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com#gid=0) What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Let us know in the comments.