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2010 NHL free agency: Canucks sign forward Bill Sweatt

The wacky saga of Bill Sweatt is at an end. The former Blackhawks second round draft pick who was traded this summer in the Kris Versteeg deal to the Toronto Maple Leafs is now a member of the Vancouver Canucks after signing a three-year entry-level deal with the team.

Sweatt, a top player at Colorado College, made a name for himself after failing to reach an agreement with the Maple Leafs and bringing Leafs GM Brian Burke out of his shell to declare rather loudly how he was unable to do so with Sweatt’s agent Scott Norton.

“We liked his (Sweatt’s) foot speed, he has a chance, that’s all,” he wrote. "(But) we are allowed a max of 50 contracts. We would rather save the spot (than continue negotiating a deal with his agent).”

Ending up on the wrong side of Brian Burke always ends up being a bit ugly. In this case, however, Bill Sweatt comes away a winner because he both finds a team to sign with and it ends up being the one that his brother Lee plays for as well. That’s not a bad consolation prize when it all boils down. Expect the Sweatt brothers to play together in Manitoba in the AHL this upcoming season.