TORONTO - Brian Burke made his second trade within a week, sending forward Kris Versteeg to the Philadelphia Flyers for first- and third-round draft picks in 2011.
Versteeg's tenure with the Maple Leafs lasted just 53 games.
In Philadelphia, he'll get an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. The 24-year-old was part of the Chicago Blackhawks team that beat the Flyers last spring.
Burke refused to waive the white flag on his team's season after acquiring Joffrey Lupul from Anaheim last week, but appears to have had a change of heart.
This deal gives Toronto something it didn't have -- a first-round pick, although the selection will come late because Philadelphia is challenging for the Presidents' Trophy.
Boston holds the Leafs first-round pick in the upcoming draft as a result of the Phil Kessel trade.
Versteeg was one of Burke's biggest off-season additions last summer, arriving from Chicago for Viktor Stalberg and prospects Chris DiDomenico and Phillippe Paradis.
However, he wasn't able to take the next step on a struggling team and had recently settled into a role on the Leafs third line. He was sixth in team scoring with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 53 games.
Versteeg is set to earn US$3.083 million next season in the final year of his contract.
The Flyers got a glimpse of his potential during last year's Stanley Cup final and are happy to add him to their deep lineup.
"Kris is an exciting young forward," GM Paul Holmgren said in a release. "He'll fit in with our group of players here. He's a quality forward that can play in a lot of different roles for our hockey team. He can move up and down our lineup, he can kill penalties, he can play on the power play.
"We think he's a guy that over the last few years, particularly in Chicago, has really blossomed into a good forward and we think he's going to be a really good addition to our team."
