Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has a number of theories, including this one: "Most trades cannot be evaluated with a stopwatch. You need a calendar."
But a pretty good indication that a trade is working out is if the guy you received is playing in the All-Star Game this weekend in Ottawa. And that's the case for three Maple Leafs -- Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf and Joffrey Lupul -- who were acquired by Burke since he took over in Toronto.
So with the Maple Leafs leading the way, here's a look at six trades that helped shape this year's All-Star Game:
1. Boston Bruins trade Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs for 2010 first-round pick (Tyler Seguin), second-round pick (Jared Knight) and 2011 first-round pick (Dougie Hamilton) (September 2009)
While this trade has been analyzed and reanalyzed to death, both Seguin and Kessel are representing their teams in Ottawa, making it a deal that is currently working out for both sides.
To read more from Craig on the trades that had an impact on this season's All-Star Game, sign up for Insider today.
- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
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