If you like trades, you loved Sunday. Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke jumped on the opportunity to reshuffle his roster. In a salary cap league, where top players don't often become available on the open market, rebuilding teams have two choices: work patiently through the draft or take some chances.
Clearly, Burke is one guy who doesn't mind rolling the dice. As far as I can tell, the risks he took in his two Sunday deals don't have too much downside. I think he took a much bigger gamble earlier in the season when he reached for Phil Kessel. But, that's another blog. In all, 10 players moved in the Sunday trades. With that in mind, I've put the 10 skaters/goalies in my order of importance. The first two guys on the list now reside in Toronto. I guess that tells you how I feel about the deals.
Here's a special trade edition of the Monday 10.
To see who ranks the highest in Hradek's mind and who will make an impact in their new home, you must be an ESPN Insider.
E.J. Hradek
Senior Writer, ESPN The MagazineABOUT THIS BLOG
E.J. Hradek
E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.
In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.
Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.
