Taken at face value, the February-long diary kept by Anaheim Ducks General Manager Brian Burke offers a rare peek into the hectic NHL trade deadline environment:

Saturday, Feb. 17

I talk to Florida assistant GM Randy Sexton about Todd Bertuzzi, and he tells me “the guy we like is Perry.” I offer him profanity. If you are offended by profanity, it’s difficult to make a trade in the NHL. If you are going to try to rob me, at least wear a mask. We talk to Philadelphia about Kyle Calder.

Of course, the skeptic in me wonders how much of it was written in hindsight, and/or selectively edited. It reads like a slightly favorable recounting of Burke’s maneuvers, which amounted to very little change to the Ducks roster. You could argue that Anaheim was already well-poised to attack the postseason without further help — and I agree — but this comes off as a convenient rationalization in case the team flames out in the playoffs.

Incidentally, Burke makes no mention of any attempts to acquire Mats Sundin from Toronto, which was an early rumor heading into trade crunchtime. I actually buy that there was nothing to that, as it came off from the start as a media invention.