Maple Leafs Re-Sign Forward Grabovski to Three-Year Contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up an important piece of their future on Thursday by signing center Mikhail Grabovski to a three-year contract worth $8.7 million. The deal averages out to $2.9 million per season. The Maple Leafs acquired the young forward in a trade last summer from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for prospect Greg Pateryn and a second round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. In 78 games last season, his first full season in the NHL, Grabovski scored 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points. This is a great signing for the Maple Leafs, as Grabovski is expected to develop into a second line center. He is already starting to exhibit fine offensive skill and goal-scoring talent that will make him one of the Maple Leafs’ top forwards in the near future. The Canadiens never gave Grabovski much of a chance to prove himself in his short tenure in Montreal. Part of his trade to Toronto stemmed from his request for more ice time, which the Canadiens would not grant him. Some fans thought it selfish of Grabovski to seek a trade when he had not fully proven himself at the NHL level, but in all fairness, it was probably better for his career advancement, as he would probably still be stuck on the Canadiens’ third line today.