Maple Leafs president and GM Brian Burke was one of many guest panelists speaking on the opening day of the World Hockey Summit in Toronto on Monday evening.
The four-day event is dedicated to discussing some of the sport’s biggest issues in an open forum.
Burke was involved in a ‘hot stove’ session regarding player agents, on a panel that included two of the biggest names in the business, Don Meehan and Pat Brisson. While lauding agents as ‘people with brains and consciences and accountability’, Burke also chided hockey parents for being the ‘worst evaluators of talent’, in reference to the tendency of moms and dads to overrate their children’s NHL playing potential.
When asked for his opinion on the lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and Russia, Burke shrugged, “As a GM we’d like to have a situation where all countries have a transfer agreement with us. We haven’t been able to accomplish that with the KHL or with the Russians. But I’m not jumping off a bridge on the way home if we don’t have one. ”
Burke took some time to discuss the Leafs, fending off critics who grumble about Toronto’s crowded blueline, which currently has eight members. “Everyone says we have too many defencemen. But I guarantee you, if you trade a defenceman, in 72 hours a defenceman will get hurt and you’ll be down to six.”
As for comments made earlier in the week by Tomas Kaberle’s father Frantisek, Burke avoided the tug-of-war.
“We’re not pouring any gasoline on that fire. (Frantisek) Kaberle is entitled to his view. I talked to Rick Curran (Kaberle’s agent) today and there’s no issue as far as Tomas is concerned,” Burke said.
When pressed on whether head coach Ron WIlson has a problem with the veteran defenceman, Burke simply replied ‘no’.
