Sometimes when Darren Dreger tweets trade rumours, I can just picture him leaning over to somebody just before they go on air and saying, “Hey – watch this!
On Thursday night, less than two weeks away from the 2012 NHL trade deadline, it was reported that there is currently a trade offer on the table for Mikhail Grabovski. The rumoured offer for the Belarusian forward is a second-round pick and a prospect.
Twitter explosion in 3…2…- wow it didn’t even get to 1!
And my personal favourite…
Murder a pineapple? What?
This picture…I…I have so many questions.
To Chemmy’s point, even if the Leafs cannot re-sign Grabovski before his contract expires on July 1st, is it still really worth it to trade him? Grabovski is Toronto’s third-leading scorer for goals (18) and points (39). He is within striking distance of the career highs he set last season for goals (29), assists (29), and points (58). The Leafs currently sit in the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed, and their lead on ninth isn’t exactly comfortable. Is it really worth it to trade Grabovski if it means the Leafs missing out on a playoff spot yet again?
Brian Burke’s mantra has been that there isn’t much of a point in making the playoffs if you’re just going to get whooped in the first round. This was a lot easier to sell to fans last season when the team was in eleventh or twelfth, doing their best just to climb back into the race. Right now, the Leafs actually sit in a playoff position in February for a change, and despite recent struggles, climbing into a higher playoff seed is well within reach. If trading Grabovski means missing the playoffs again, let’s put it this way – I hope Burke likes waffles.
Greg Pateryn
The other huge issue with this trade rumour: A second round draft pick is unpredictable enough, but what the hell does “a prospect” mean? Is it a guy like Washington’s super-Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov? What about Minnesota’s Finnish wonder Mikael Granlund? Getting any prospect of that caliber is highly unlikely. After all, the Leafs acquired Grabovski from Montreal for a secound-rounder and a prospect. The result? The Habs flipped the pick for Robert Lang, and the prospect was Greg Pateryn. Who? Exactly. Grabovski isn’t always going to produce, but he’s much more of a sure thing than most second-round picks or prospects.
Another huge problem with this trade rumour: The Tampa Bay Lightning just got a second-rounder from the Sharks for Dominic Moore and a seventh. Now, there’s nothing wrong with getting Dominic Moore. Good defensive forward, affordable, and has playoff experience. That being said, he ain’t Mikahil Grabovski.
It seems the least talked about perspective on this trade offer is that it’s just a trade offer. General Managers make offers all the time, but that doesn’t mean they will actually happen. There are stories of Brian Burke in the not-so-distant past responding to trade offers with a “—- off!” and an abruptly hanging up the phone. Just because a team made an offer for Mikhail Grabovski, whoever that team is, does not mean Leafs management will accept it.
For now, Grabo will continue to try to help the Maple Leafs make the playoffs for the first time since 2004, and protect the good people of Toronto from evil pineapples.
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