Despite his optimism, Burke refused to comment on the status of his discussions with Schenn's agents.
"We don't talk about contract negotiations," he told reporters earlier today. "We're optimistic we'll get it done. We think that public commentary on it generally harms the process. With Luke and any other player, our company policy is not to discuss it publicly."
Burke values Schenn's contributions to the Leafs, adding, "I want to be clear on this, Luke is a great player and a great kid. We value him highly."
Once signed, the Leafs will still have plenty of salary cap space to add another player to their roster, if they come across a deal that makes sense. To date, Burke acknowledged that he is not close to any trade.
"We've still got some cap space," he confirmed. We're still open to adding."
