SPORTSNET.CA

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke will not ask defenceman Pavel Kubina to waive his no-trade clause at the March 4 deadline. End of story.

"Kubina has not waived his no-trade, so there is no discussion," Burke told Hockeycentral @ Noon on Tuesday. "He has got a no trade and I will not ask him to waive it."

Burke added that the Kubina (and Tomas Kaberle) no-trade clause goes away if the Leafs fail to make the playoffs this year. The period in which either player can be traded begins at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and stretches to the beginning of the free-agent period on July 1, 2009. At this point Kubina and Kaberle can be traded to the 29 other teams without question. Burke also told Hockeycentral co-hosts Daren Millard, Nick Kypreos and Mike Brophy that he will ask the players' agents for a list of 10 working teams should the process get that far.

The idea of the no-trade clause factored in to the dismissal of former team GM John Ferguson Jr., but Burke sees the handing out of the no-trades in Toronto by Ferguson as sign of the times.

"It's not like players were lining up to come to Toronto over the last few years, that is why Fergie had to give them no-trade clauses. It's not because he liked them all," Burke said of his front-office predecessor. "He gave no trades because guys would not come otherwise. This is not a destination of choice at this point for NHL players and we are going to try and change that."

Going in to the game against Buffalo on Tuesday night the Maple Leafs (21-25-10) sit 12 points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.