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Jeff Finger may be the forgotten man of the Maple Leafs defence, but he's still going to get a chance to prove himself.
With his hefty salary and some depth on the blue line, the popular speculation has been that Finger, who has been sidelined with a minor knee injury, will be sent to the Marlies to create cap room.
Not so, says the Leafs GM.
"The speculation that Jeff Finger has been earmarked for assignment I don't think is fair to Jeff," Brian Burke said. "I think he's entitled to a fair look.
"Our plan would be to get him in (to some pre-season games) and see what he can do."
Burke said it is likely the Leafs will have eight defencemen on the 23-man roster when the season begins. So what about cap space?
"We don't have any cap issues if (Nazem) Kadri isn't on the team," Burke said.