The Un-Five-Million-Dollar Man

Cudda. Wudda. Shudda.

Two more losses have piled up since Leafs GM Brian Burke proclaimed that on trade deadline day he could have added four first round draft picks for players on his current roster.

In addition to the club's own first rounder, that would have made it five picks in the top 30 this June, a position of terrific possibility and flexibility.

Burke declined all of those offers, choosing the now over the future. For those who hope to see the Leafs return to post-season play sometime before global warming turns Toronto into Tahiti, perhaps it was the correct choice.

One of those first rounders, its quite clear, could have been had for centre Mikhail Grabovski, who is in the midst of one hockey's most inept salary drives at the moment. He's 27 years old, has never managed more than 29 goals or 58 points in a single NHL season (both were last year) and is unlikely to hit either total this season.

Always a streaky sort, Grabovski has gone colder than his team, and has now failed to score a goal in 14 games after missing out again in Chicago on Wednesday.

Oh yes, and he wants $5 million a year on a multi-year contract.

Well, if someone else wants to pay, let 'em pay. But it shouldn't be the Leafs. 

The team that is probably already wondering whether it gave John-Michael Liles too much salary and too much term by signing him in-season to a new contract must, surely, be getting the heebie-geebies over awarding Grabovski the kind of contract he's looking for either now or as a UFA this summer.

Maybe that's what the marketplace demands. But as the second-line centre on a losing hockey team, it would be difficult to make the case that Grabovski deserves this kind of payday on anything but a pure statistical basis, i.e., other teams are dumb enough to be paying Player X and Player Y this amount, therefore the Leafs should do the same with Grabovski, who currently makes $2.9 million per season.

So much attention has been paid to Ron Wilson, and the goalies, and Luke Schenn, that guys like Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur, Nik Kulemin, Matthew Lombardi and others have been able to quietly post sub-par seasons and slip under the radar.

That happens. But you don't give them a raise for it.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Musclehead]

Got to agree with the take on Liles. I had heard through the grapevine that Burke was looking and started watching him. There was no way this was a guy you wanted. I thought Connolly would have brought more, on the bright side he hasn't been injured this year, probably a bonus on games played but does that limit his effectiveness if he's worried about getting hurt? Another enigma is Steckel, at 6’5” I don’t know how it is that he can play so small? This tells me that in fact the contact with Crosby was most certainly accidental because this guy does as much as he can to get out of the way of contact. Sure he wins some draws, but had Ziggy been used properly he could have filled that role. Here is a a flip flop for me, I don’t think this team is that far off, the problem is that there is no room for error in who is gained moving forward. If I had to cite one thing that has held this team back, is Burke’s penchant to have a team full of Americans. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Brown and Gardiner, but Connelly, Crabb, Komisarek, Liles, Steckel, Lashoff and Finger are all dead wood! I think there are better players available without question, regardless of where they come from.

[Cam]

Don't forget Tim Connolly, Mike Komisarek and Colby Armstrong in your list of underperformers slipping under the radar...

[Peter]

Yeah, sure, trade everybody. and then what? you are going to end up like Edmonton or the Islanders.
Draft picks can't play. and when they become players you will want to trade them again?
Kenny Murphy, couldn't agree more with you!

[Stevo]

I would have traded all those guys for 1sts. Can trade 2-3 firsts for a top-line easier than 3 average players. Bring up the kids and their energy which is sorely lacking. The only way I can explain Burke not making those deals is he wants the Marlies to experience winning so next year they can explain what it feels like to the Leafs.

[Jonathon]

I agree with most of this article. But, one thing beside firing Wilson which has not been explored and I wish you would write about in more depth is Zigomanis.

Ziggy is a center and a great face off person. HE's leading the Marlies again in points yet he has not been brought up to help out on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th line. Do you see where us fans get annoyed with the mismanagement and the media in Toronto when we see a player, making less than Kadri and is leading the Marlies in points again.....but has never been brought up to the NHL this year.

I can't wait for a logical answer on this one. Is it because the rumours about the photos or what, cause quite frankly I don't care about the rumours. I just want a player on the team who has earned an opportunity and may help our Leafs!

PS: Fire Wison!!

[sean]

I would re-sign him to the order of about 4.25 M / 3 yr term (maybe 4)...he has shown a developing year over year consistency for the past 4 years. More consistency than MacArthur or Kulemin that's for sure. He's a keeper.

[Jacob]

Agree but he is not a second line centre. He should be on the first line but is playing on the second because that line needs somebody decent on it.

[Dale]

the move is to sign Grabo and parlay him in a deal for an upgrade at centre...there are no free agent options this summer, at any position...second, to deal the guys who would have got us first rounders reaffirms the " rebuild ", high firsts, burke cant do it...lets be honest the first half of half of this season was smoke and mirrors...we are where we should be at this point=no playoffs!...patience idiots, patience.

[ignites]

i disagree id take grabovski over kessel. You want to talk about NOT showing up - kessel has those in 1 in 15s (not this year but in almost every season except this year). Grabo can skate, doesnt aviod getting hit, doesnt whine and complain, picks him self back up and doestn act diva like (unlike kessel). Grabo seems more of a leader to me than kes and VERY obviously better than connolly. So would grabo fetch 5 mil? Yes he will - depending on the FA market for top centers in July 1 he could fetch kessel money (for a lot shorter term 2/3 yrs) if the market really thins out.

[Terry Woods]

The Leafs for years ahve been blessed with great centres: Sundin, Gilmour, Sittler, maybe Olcyk. The one thing they have never had over the past 40 years is a good 2nd line centre and it has always come back to bite us in the playoffs. They close our number one down and we inevitably flounder just as the Islanders did all through the late 70's. Then, shazzam, they sign Goring and 4 Stanley cups follow. I think Grabovski is quite comparable to Goring and just as necessary to Toronto. I'm not sure how much he is worth but it has got to be in the $5 million range or we can kiss him goodbye and let some other team intent on winning the cup get him.

[Don]

Leafs can't take the pressure,watch when they are out of the play-off hunt,they'll tear up the league,same as last year.I don't want to see how close they came. Wake up and start playing hockey,they need a vet captain and replace the Goalie coach.He has the goalies playing a different style.They are down all the time and this is well known and everyone is shooting high on them.He has taken away what got them to the pros.

[Amanda AmeriLoanSearch]

Honestly I have no idea if either of these guys fulfill their potential, but Bernier is an 11th overall pick who at 23 years old hasn't proven anything at the NHL level. Schenn is a 22 year old 5th overall pick, who also hasn't proven anything yet, though a little more than Bernier. Not sure why we would also add the 1st. Hockey's future has Bernier rated an 8.0 B, Schenn a 8.5 B, for what it's worth.

[Phillip]

I am a long suffering Leaf fan and despite their current woes I believe that the with a few minor changes this team will not only become a perrenial playoff team but a legitimate contender. The fact is that at the deadline there were simoly no players available that would have improved this team, and a trade just for the sake of a trade is of no use. There are abviously a few lame ducks on this team but Grabo is certainly not one of them. If he were to be given a contract with production incentives that could end up at 5 mil that would be a good deal considering what Connelly and Komisarek are making whilst contributing nothing of use. In all, this team simply needs to better allocate its resources and pay the players that produce and trade the ones that are not. Toronto has more than enough prospect depth and players that while overpaid are deired by many other teams. I would look to the summer to see 1 or 2 impact players added but without destrying the core of the team and many of the oft forgotten strides that some players have made this year that will garuntee success for years to come.

[J]

In one breathe many say that we need the big Getzlaf type center, and in the next they say this team needs a proper rebuild and hold onto it's good young players.

Tier II centerman like Plekanec, Weiss, etc that are better 2 way players than Getzlaf are very hard to find. Keeping Grabo on a 3 year deal at 5 mill /season is not only a great idea in the short term, but on the long term it gives us depth options for 2nd and 3rd line, wing or center, in case any of our prospects do not pan out. If Armstrong gets 3/season from Burke for what he brings, then Grabo deserves 5 without a doubt. Late first round pick for him is not enough.