Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke expects Tomas Kaberle to be in the lineup on opening night, and will be shocked if the defenceman is not.
Burke made the comments on Thursday during a press conference where former NHLer Dave Poulin was introduced as the club's new vice-president of Hockey Operations.
"I'd have to be blown away," Burke said in response to moving Kaberle before the season. "But that hasn't happened and I don't see what happening."
The 31-year-old defenceman has been named in various trade reports, with the most recent being a move to Boston for Phil Kessel. As it stands, Burke is not speaking to any teams regarding Kaberle and would be "shocked" if anything changed before opening night in October.
Poulin, who played 12 seasons in the NHL with Philadelphia, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals before retiring at the conclusion of the 1994-95 campaign, also coached Notre Dame to its first NCAA tournament.
"Dave and I have known each other for a very long time,'' general manager Brian Burke said in a statement. "I was fortunate enough to represent Dave during his playing career and he was also a valuable resource to me in a scouting capacity in 2006-07 and at the start of 2008-09.''
Burke also added that he plans to fill out the Toronto Marlies coaching staff by next week. The entire AHL team's staff, including head coach Greg Gilbert, was released on June 5, 2009.
