Brian Burke: Woe is Me

I remember my Grade 12 prom; weeks of anticipation and excitement all leading up to the big night. Who would I end up dancing with? Would Stacey the head cheerleader totally make out with Karl in the Limo? How long would it take grunge kids get wasted in the bathroom and demand the DJ play nothing but Nirvana?

Yes, prom was supposed to be a night of great memories and classic stories to be retold happily to future generations. Instead, I had just over 1 beer, sitting with my best friend at one of the back tables for the majority of the night. Stacey got in a fight in Karl and left at 8pm, and the grunge kids decided Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” wasn’t mainstream synthesized crap after all.

Needless to say, prom was a disappointment. However, that pales in comparison to the rotting despair stewing in my stomach as I sit here at the close of Trade Deadline, with nothing.

We made a minor deal, shipping out Keith Aulie to Tampa Bay for Carter Ashton. By all accounts Ashton is a good prospect, possessing the size and draft pedigree that will certainly bolster our prospect pool moving forward. Aulie was a nice piece too, but our blueline had become crowded this year and change was inevitable. My frustration doesn’t stem from the merits of our one and only deal; it’s due to Brian Burkes comments at the post-deadline press conference.

For those of you that missed it, below are some of the notable words from Burke on deadline day:

"I'm debating starting our own trade freeze 10 days before the deadline, much like I do prior to Christmas … that's how distracting it is."