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HODGEMAIL: WHICH GENERAL MANAGER IS THE NHL'S BEST TRADER?

TSN.CA STAFF, 2/2/2012

TSN's Dave Hodge sounds off on all the hockey issues of the day in Hodgemail. Write in to answer Dave's question and watch the NHL on TSN tonight to see if he reads your response.

It's getting down to the wire for NHL general managers.

On Monday, Feb. 27 they will be front and centre on trade deadline day, looking to make the right deals to help their team make a playoff run, or in some cases, get the team into position to become an eventual contender.

While Brian Burke gets plenty of attention for his active approach in trying to improve his teams, there are also other GMs in the league who have successful track records.

And it's no coincidence that their teams are among the top teams in the NHL.

Take Mike Gillis of the Vancouver Canucks. At last year's trade deadline, he made two depth moves – acquiring Chris Higgins and Maxim Lapierre – that were integral to the Canucks reaching the Cup final.

Boston GM Peter Chiarelli swung a pair of deals that helped shape a Cup winner. His trade of Phil Kessel landed them a draft pick that turned into Tyler Seguin, who was a key contributor to the Bruins' championship season. He also stabilized the blue line by picking up Tomas Kaberle.

Ken Holland has made a living out of snagging key pieces to keep the Detroit Red Wings one of the premier franchises in the league for more than a decade. His list of pickups over the years includes Brendan Shanahan, Chris Chelios, Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi.

And Flyers GM Paul Holmgren wasn't afraid to deal two cornerstones of his team this offseason, dealing captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and getting Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek.

So with the trade deadline looming, here's Dave's question to you: Which general manager is the NHL's best trader?