Washington’s general manager George McPhee silenced a lot of his premature critics last Friday with the unexpected signing of controversial unrestricted free agent Mikhail Grabovski.
The Minsk, Belarus native was inked to a one-year, $3 million contract that also includes a no-trade clause attached, confirmed by Katie Carrera of the Washington Post.
While some would argue that the Capitals would have been far better off re-signing veteran Mike Ribeiro, there are many underlying factors that pose a disagreement towards that viewpoint.
Despite the fact that Ribeiro’s offensive success last season undoubtedly proved he could be a consistent point producer for the Caps, George McPhee was not in any position to offer the 33-year old center the kind of contract he was looking for. The four year, $22 million deal that he received from the Phoenix Coyotes was simply not something Washington could match.
Grabovski, a 29-year old centerman who was just recently bought out by the Toronto Maple Leafs was the cheaper, more efficient choice for the Capitals.
The $14.3 million that he will be receiving over the next 8 years from Toronto is one of the main reasons that the Caps were able to lock him up for such a minimal hit to their salary cap. That kind of inexpensive contract is exactly what they were looking for seeing as though they are still in the process of re-signing Swedish forward Marcus Johansson.
Regardless of the fact that George McPhee and the Capitals stated earlier in the summer that they were prepared and confident to have Brooks Laich centering their all important second line, it seems fairly apparent that Grabovski will be taking over that role which in my opinion he rightfully deserves.
Being the fast moving, puck possessing player that he is, Mikhail would undeniably be my first and only choice to play in between forwards Troy Brouwer and Martin Erat. Ever since losing Alexander Semin to the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington has noticeably lacked a speedy offensive threat behind Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. With Grabovski, I think they have definitely found that.
Adding another top six player to the roster has also given the Caps a lot more flexibility when it comes to the amount of forward depth that they now possess. This would allow for Brooks Laich to possibly slide up into the left wing spot on the top line and have Marcus Johansson drop down as a winger on their third line.
This is something that I as a Capitals enthusiast have been waiting for. I have never felt that Johansson was capable of being a first liner and still don’t. However, that choice will be left up to head coach Adam Oates to make after training camp concludes. Regardless, just being able to have those kinds of options is a huge plus for Washington.
Additionally Grabovski, no matter what anyone else wants to try and tell me is a positive player to have inside and outside of the locker room. Forget all of the blown out of proportion situations and unintelligent criticisms surrounding him and his character. After all, when it really comes down to it, we as fans and followers of the game don’t know him best and neither does any other member of the media for that matter.
His former general manager Brian Burke does though, and this is what he had to say about Grabo:
“I think Mikhail Grabovski is just a class act, he’s a warrior on the ice, he’s a gym rat off the ice. His preparation is unbelievable, he’s very serious about being a good hockey player and he was a joy while I had him in Toronto. He was a joy to have on the team.”
I’m sure George McPhee, Adam Oates and the rest of the Capitals’ organization will feel the same way.
All in all, I thoroughly believe that Mikhail Grabovski will have a breakout season with the Caps this year. The amount of potential that I see for him on an offensive team like Washington is infinite and as a fan of the team, I couldn’t be more excited to see #84 hit the ice. But I, along with the rest of D.C.’s faithful will just have to wait until he rocks the red for real this October.
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