Francois Beauchemin Let Off Burke's Bus

“I drive the bus. I decide who gets on the bus. I decide who gets off the bus. If the
bus is stuck in the ditch, then ultimately that’s my responsibility.” - Brian Burke

The Burke Bus was at it again – this time dropping off Francois Beauchemin in Anaheim and picking up Joffrey Lupul, prospect Jake Gardiner, and a conditional draft pick.

Beauchemin signed with Toronto as a free agent in 2009, but he wasn’t the same player with the Leafs as he was with the Ducks. With Keith Aulie ready to play in the NHL it was a smart move to unload his contract, which includes another year at $3.8 million (not sure how much of that was going into Wilson's pocket for ice time).

Lupul who was the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, has scored at least 20 goals three times. The 27-year-old joins the Leafs after missing about a year because of back surgery and an infection. He has two seasons left on his contract at $4.25 million each. It is a pretty pricey contract, but the Leafs will have a lot of cap room anyways going forward and Lupul will be a good addition to the club on and off the ice.

The hidden gem in the deal is prospect Jake Gardiner. Burke drafted Gardiner 17th overall for the Ducks in 2008 largely because of his strong skating ability. Gardiner, 20, has 30 points in 30 U.S. college games this year and if you are a prospect person you look at his 8.0C rating on Hockey Futures, and think wow what a steal for Burke... Gardiner is another solid prospect the Leafs can add to their cupboard, and he seems pretty excited to be joining such a historic franchise. Speaking of excitement, it appears Clarke MacArthur is looking forward to playing with Lupul in Toronto.

Forget about Lupul's misspelling of MacArthur's name and the word hilarious. What do you think of the trade?