TORONTO -- Brian Burke was quick to admit he was rolling the dice on acquiring Joffrey Lupul (right) from the Anaheim Ducks, but it's a bet the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs believes will have a huge payback.Lupul and top college prospect Jake Gardiner along with a conditional pick in the 2013 draft were dealt for veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin, who fled the then-salary-cap-strapped Ducks as a free agent in 2009 to sign with the Maple Leafs.
Gardiner is the prize of the trade and it would have been a coup for Burke to get him simply in return for Beauchemin. Gardiner has averaged a point per game with the University of Wisconsin this season and was chosen by the Ducks in the first round of the 2008 entry draft
But by adding Lupul to the deal, Burke is hoping a) his health concerns are behind him and b) Lupul has a burning desire to get back to where his game was a couple of years ago.
The three-time 20-goal scorer had surgery to fix a herniated disk in his back in December 2009. He developed a blood infection during his second surgery, requiring months of antibiotics and bed rest before he could get back in NHL shape. He returned to the Ducks lineup in December.
He remains on antibiotics, but Burke said that was standard procedure for the type of infection he had.
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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/09/brian-burke-rolls-dice-says-maple-leafs-will-stay-active/
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