News Article: Brian Burke: ‘Mikhail Grabovski is just a class act’

[BlueMapleDawg]

- Grabo was overpaid yes. But only by about $1.0M. And the term was fine.
- Bozak is WAY overpaid. And the term isn't terrible.
- Clarkson is arguably a good cap hit, but with a HORRENDOUS term. He's going to deteriorate like paper in water.

Bozak being on the team wouldn't bother me if his cap hit was lower and we didn't have a coach who uses him as much as he does. Bozak is a 12-16 minute player.
He wouldn't be a Top 6 on any other NHL team. And he shouldn't be on ours. He's Phil Kessel's bff. What more is there to say?
Bottom line with Bozak, we're not going to win substantial games/playoff games with him on our top line. And when Kadri/Colborne/whoever surpass him, he'll be a cap nightmare at $4.2M.

Clarkson will be good for the next 2-3 years. Beyond that? C'mon... Nonis f***ed us hard. No way he's still around by the time Bozak's contract is over let alone Clarkson's.

Grabo was the least of all evils even with him being overpaid. He'll have good success, I'm sure.

 

[hockeyfanz*]

To me he played like a brainless energizer bunny
BB gave him a ridiculous contract, and now both BB and Grabo are off thre team

Telling it like it is....Burke's mistakes pile was probably as high as his "job well done" pile...at the end of the day..Burke would look like an idiot if he said anything different about Grabovski. He was not one to quickly admit his mistakes. And the Grabo contract was definitely a mistake. The Caps got it right. 3M for him. One year. Perfect.

 

[StuckOutHere]

Brian Burke said good things about Grabo. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-burke-mikhail-grabovski-is-just-a-class-act/



JVR was also positive



I really wish we didn't buy him out. Carlyle should have been told to get along with him or he would be the one let go.

It's embarrassing to have Bozak as our 1C. Under no circumstances will we win with him there.

It's weird and a little hard to make sense of...But our #1C plays on the 2nd line.

 

[charliolemieux]

It's embarrassing to have Bozak as our 1C. Under no circumstances will we win with him there.

So are you saying you would be less embarrassed if we had Grabo as our #1C?

 

[Holymakinaw]

I don't care how "classy" Burke thought Grabs was. At 5.5 million, and with 26 points in his last 73 games, to go along with his -26, he simply wasn't worth keeping here.

No matter what, Bozak was our 1st line Centre(like it or not). I'd rather have Kadri on that 2nd line instead of Grabs, at HIS price.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I respect Grabo, but you can't call him a "class act" after that exit interview. Grabovski had every right to be pissed off but expressing that sort of removes your classy title. When you think of a "class act" you think of someone who is calm and respectful even when they are in less than fair circumstances. Exploding in your interview (justified or not) pretty much shatters that illusion.

Anydangway, I think he'll do great in Washington. Probably stick it to the Leafs as well (which I'm not looking forward to).

 

[Leafidelity]

I'm not embarrassed and Bozak has nothing to do with Grabovski.

Really wish more people could figure out that Kadri was the main reason Grabo was bought out.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Everyone complains about Grabo, Grabo is bought out, Grabo becomes infinitely better than Bozak, now everyone complains that we signed Bozak and didn't keep Grabo.

Ok, I think i got it.

 

[Razz]

Everyone complains about Grabo, Grabo is bought out, Grabo becomes infinitely better than Bozak, now everyone complains that we signed Bozak and didn't keep Grabo.

Ok, I think i got it.

I can't help but debating with myself what's less interesting, this forum in August and the endless redudant discussions about Grabovski and Bozak, or the endless nonsene on Reddit...I think hfboards is starting to win.

Thank god this is almost over.

 

[likeabosski]

Really wish more people could figure out that Kadri was the main reason Grabo was bought out.

When Brian Burke gave Grabovski that $27.5m/5yr contract, Grabovski was almost like a co-1C. His even-strength ice-time was virtually identical to Bozak that year, with Bozak getting primary PP duty and some PK time.

2011-12 Ice Time
Bozak: ES 15:22/G, PP 2:47/G, PK 0:41/G
Grabovski: ES 15:13/G, PP 2:05/G, PK 0:17/G

Based on his role at the time and the $70.2m/yr cap the following year, I think $5.5m/yr was a fair salary for Grabovski then. Toronto had a "Kessel line" and a "Grabovski line". Much like Pittsburgh has a Crosby line and a Malkin line. Or the Stanley Cup winning 90s/early 00s Detroit Red Wings had a Yzerman line and a Fedorov line.

With the surge of Kadri, the Grabovski line became a checking line. The purpose of a checking line is to prevent the other team from scoring and take defensive zone face-offs and assignments, not point production. Is Grabovski worth $5.5m on a checking line? No. But on a 1st scoring line? Yea. Leafs management have this idea in their head that JVR-Grabovski-Kessel is too imbalanced with goal scorers and shooters. But Phil Kessel and Mikhail Grabovski are underrated playmakers (they get lots of first assists). JVR doesn't rack up too many first assists and is more reliant on secondary assists so I'm not convinced of his playmaking chops as much. It's statistically proven that first assists are more reliable and repeatable over the years than secondary assists for a forward. Thus first assists are a much better indication of a forward's playmaking ability. (I haven't seen a study on first vs second assists for defenseman but I'd imagine that second assists are more indictive of a puck-carrying defenseman's quality than they are for a forward.)

Bozak is definitely not 1st scoring line quality and is way over-paid for what he brings to the table. He jusAt $5.5m, Grabovski is not so over-paid if played in a 1st scoring line role. He's shown his ability to produce and shine in a scoring line role.

 

[Mimico]

A few things:
1) We have wingers. We don't have much skill down the center. Any sort of new winger is less valuable to the team than a center.
2) "Produce offensively at a similar rate"... in what world!? Not ours. David Clarkson's a career .40P per game player. Grabo's a .60P per game player. You're losing production.

First of all, Clarkson being a 40 point guy and Grabo being about a 50 point guy means that yes David does produce close to Grabo. Secondly, this team simply has NO place for Grabo (other than the 4th line or the 3rd line as winger) but Clarkson can easily be slotted on the 2nd line comfortably. Bolland has replaced Grabo... accept it. Clarkson has no replacement at the moment.

 

[Kb21]

grabo would of been fine if he took 4M a season but he asked for the extra 1M and his play never amounted to it.

in the end it is his fault as much as burkes fault that he is gone, if he wasn't asking for the big bucks he may of well still of been on this team and not on the caps as a cast out.

 

[crump]

I'd take Clarkson over Grabovski at the same cap hit any day. Grabo was slotted into a shutdown role on this team and he clearly wasn't content with that decision. We now have a guy in Dave Bolland who can benevolently replace Grabo in his role and do so more effectively. That being said, Grabovski is basically useless to this team in comparison to a hard-nosed winger like Clarkson who can produce offensively at a similar rate while being a physically dominant force on the ice.

Thanks for reading my brain. Grabo was a good 2nd line centre. The only reason I would think it was a bad idea to buy him out would be if the Kadri situation dissolves into a holdout situation for the entire season. Not going to happen.

 

[BiggestLeafsFanEVER*]

I just feel like when we're watching next season we're going to wish he was on the team and not be thrilled with Bozak or Bolland if, as threatened, Bolland may get top 6 time. That's all I'm saying.

 

[Diatomic]

Sad to see a warrior like Grabo go, great player, great guy. Can't say the same about Bozak, unfortunately.

 

[exporta]

I'm not embarrassed and Bozak has nothing to do with Grabovski.

Um what? It was basically one or the other.

 

[ForSpareParts*]

Ridiculous OP.

People should be embarrassed to be Grabo fans. I can't wait to see what kind of excuses his fans will come up with this season.

 

[ForSpareParts*]

I just feel like when we're watching next season we're going to wish he was on the team and not be thrilled with Bozak or Bolland if, as threatened, Bolland may get top 6 time. That's all I'm saying.

Run-on sentence.

What are you saying here?

 

[ACC1224]

Um what? It was basically one or the other.

Not at all, maybe you're thinking of Kadri.

 

[Eb]

Sad to see a warrior like Grabo go, great player, great guy. Can't say the same about Bozak, unfortunately.

Glad to keep a warrior like Bozak, great player, great guy. Can't say the same about Grabo, unfortunately.

 

[BonMorrison]

But ... but according to the retroactive historians in here, he was a locker room cancer?

 

[Eb]

But ... but according to the retroactive historians in here, he was a locker room cancer?

He was in Montreal, for sure. Unsure about Toronto.

 

[mr grieves]

First of all, Clarkson being a 40 point guy and Grabo being about a 50 point guy means that yes David does produce close to Grabo.

.40 P/game x 82 games = 32 point seasons on average. Not 40. And the difference between 50 points and 32 points is not "produc[ing] offensively at a similar rate." I think you should be telling me how important hits and intangibles are now.

 

[leafs in five]

No matter what, Bozak was our 1st line Centre(like it or not).

this team makes people crazy.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

Boy, based on your description of Grabo...he is a fantastic player. Too bad his play these past two seasons suggest otherwise. I would have been fine with that play if he was being paid a reasonable wage.

Two seasons ago, he had a 50-point season. There is nothing wrong with that performance considering that he was utilised on the second line. As for last season, he was most depended amongst forwards against top lines, but wasn't given proper linemates. On the other hand, Bolland, was a fourth liner in Chicago this season.

I think if we want Bolland replacing Grabovski, we're going have to give him better linemates. Most seem to forget that Carlyle was criticising Kulemin for not producing in that role as well. More so, McClement was being shuffled off that role in the playoffs for a number of other forwards. We are going to have to make our comparable Turris-level possession-driving shut down line. We know agitators like Bolland can work, but some skill is going to be required as well.