The anatomy of a first-round deal

There's nothing free about free agency in the restrictive salary-cap era, unless you have ample room under the ceiling to absorb fat contracts.

NHL general managers must address roster needs with an eye on their bottom lines while building through smart drafting and wise trades. That approach allowed the Anaheim Ducks to capture the Stanley Cup this season.

Eight years ago at the entry draft in Boston, former Vancouver Canucks general manager Brian Burke offered a window into today's NHL. He was brash - and also a bully - to fashion a complicated scenario where the Canucks secured the second and third overall picks to land Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

"That was the hardest deal I've ever made and the most work I've ever put into a trade," recalled the Ducks GM.

"I know they told us they weren't coming unless we got them both and it was a seminal moment in Vancouver.

"We had 7,600 season tickets and the media started to take us seriously that these guys [Sedins] can turn it around. Their emergence doesn't surprise me.

"They were character kids with a great work ethic and we knew they'd get better because they wanted to get better. And they worked like dogs."

The twins have evolved into what Burke always predicted - first-line productive players - and the slick 26-year-old Swedes are coming off career seasons.

Henrik had 81 points and was fourth in NHL assists with 71 and fifth in power-play assists with 34. Daniel had 84 points and was ninth in power-play goals with 16. They're also both under contract for two more seasons at a bargain $3.575 million US annually.

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The anatomy of a first-round deal