He’s in the money
Leafs give Grabovski 5-year extension worth $27.5 million,
As a young boy growing up in Minsk, Belarus, Mikhail Grabovski dreamed of playing in the NHL.
He lived in a two-bedroom apartment with his parents and grandparents. Just having a new hockey stick was a luxury.
But his family believed in him, a faith that became the driving force behind a hockey career that led him to the Maple Leafs.
On Tuesday, Grabovski signed a five-year, $27.5-million contract that will make him the team’s second highest-paid player next season at $5.5 million. Only captain Dion Phaneuf, at $6.5 million, will make more.
“We didn’t have a big house. We had a tiny apartment. Always had good food on the table but my parents wanted me (to be in the NHL). My dad Yury was my first hockey coach, my best coach,” the 28-yearold Grabovski said after the morning skate before playing Boston.
“He made me believe I could make it at the big level, stay there a long time. I’m very thankful my parents gave me the chance to play hockey.”
Grabovski will use some of his new wealth to repay his father, a retired engineer, for everything he did.
“I will send money to take care of him,” he said. His father watches Leafs games on the Internet and makes at least one trip to Toronto each season.
Grabovski would have been an un- restricted free agent July 1. He could have left without the Leafs receiving anything in return. That led to much speculation he would be traded at last week’s deadline. Grabovski said he wasn’t worried about being traded. His decision to remain with the Leafs instead of seeking free agency with a chance to earn a more lucrative contract had everything to do with what was best for himself and his family. Toronto also gave him the chance to prove he was a bona fide NHLER. Money wasn’t as important as stability to Grabovski and his Torontoborn girlfriend Kate, with whom he has two children. “I always wanted to be in a place where people believed in me and gave me a chance to play,” Grabovski said. “It was very important for me to stay in Toronto. My girlfriend is from here. For her, being close to her parents and family is nice. But I know her and it doesn’t matter where I go, she goes. But for me, it’s better to stay here than go anywhere else. I like being here.” Grabovski can select 10 teams that he can be traded to each season. He’s currently playing in the final year of a three-year, $8.7 million contract that paid him $3.1 million this season. His agent Gary Greenstin said negotiations were “very complicated.” They had sought a six- or sevenyear deal, but Leafs GM Brian Burke insisted on a shorter contract. “Had he been on the market this summer he would have been the most sought-after centre for sure,” Greenstin told the Star. Grabovski has 20 goals and 25 assists this year, putting him third in points on the team. He scored 29 goals and 29 assists last season. He’s coming off one of his best games of the season.
He scored two goals, including the game-winner, in Toronto’s 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, snapping out of a 13game goal-less slump.
That was the also the first game behind the bench for newly hired head coach Randy Carlyle. Grabovski said the coaching change played no role in his decision to sign a new contract.
“If you play well, it doesn’t matter who your coach is,” Grabovski said. “I didn’t have any problems here the last four years. The coaching staff and managers believed in me. . . . I’m just a soldier, who will work for whoever is the coach.”
Carlyle was well aware of Grabovski’s “skill and competitiveness” when he coached against him in Anaheim.
“In the game the other night, he was the best player on the ice. So in my view of him, he just reinforced that in one game,” Carlyle said.
He then added with a smile, “But it’s only one game.”
The Leafs acquired Grabovski in a July 2008 trade with Montreal for the rights to Greg Pateryn and a second-round draft pick in 2010. In 304 career NHL games with Montreal and Toronto, Grabovski has 82 goals and 113 assists for 195 points.