Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to get ahead of the game by starting the re-signing process and Mikhail Grabovski was inked to a five-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of $5.5 million.
Grabovski was slated to become a UFA this July and both sides have been trying to iron out a deal and Burke was very happy to get a deal done. The Leafs general manager told the press,
“We are extremely pleased to have Mikhail under contract for the next five seasons,” said Burke. “His speed and skill are valuable commodities and fit perfectly with our style of play. He leads by example and his work ethic speaks for itself.”
What is interesting about this deal is Grabovski is earning $5.5 million annually under the new deal despite never scoring 30 goals or 60 points in a season. This contract falls under the same category as the Ales Hemsky deal.
The free agent market this summer is very slim and teams are overpaying to retain their own talent. If Grabovski doesn't continue to grow and step up his game, this deal could end up being a major bust.
The general sentiment around Twitter is that ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tom Urtz Jr
NHL Free Agency: Maple Leafs Ink Mikhail Grabovski to 5-Year Extension
March 6th, 2012 by Tom Urtz Jr Leave a reply »
Advertisement