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Habs To Sign Grabovsky


mathieu30

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source: gazeta.ru

"Mikhail Grabovsky will almost certainly leave to play for Montreal next season. The Canadiens have been in constant contact with me, and there has been enormous interest shown from their side."

-Gary Greenstin, Grabovsky's agent

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source: gazeta.ru

"Mikhail Grabovsky will almost certainly leave to play for Montreal next season. The Canadiens have been in constant contact with me, and there has been enormous interest shown from their side."

-Gary Greenstin, Grabovsky's agent

Well, that's all cyrillic to me! :)

Good new in cyrillic is good news in any script.

Thanks. :):)

:king: :hlogo: :king:

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Well, that's all cyrillic to me! :)

Good new in cyrillic is good news in any script.

Thanks. :):)

:king: :hlogo: :king:

LOL

Good to hear, he's been tearing it up....

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So does this mean that he will be going straight to the Habs or spend time with the Bulldogs??

:hlogo:

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So does this mean that he will be going straight to the Habs or spend time with the Bulldogs??

:hlogo:

I think only time (training camp) will tell.

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great news we needed another 5,10 180 lbs centerman :lol:

what I heard is that he's been great during the WC playing against men

welcome in montreal mikhail

since when as belarus become our farm team :lol:

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Gee, I wonder how they finally convinced Grabovsky to come to North America ($$$$). If I remember right he rejected an offer to play in Hamilton last season.

maybe the habs want an all-russian lpower play with kostitsyn-perezhogin-kovalev-grabovsky and markov

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Gee, I wonder how they finally convinced Grabovsky to come to North America ($$$$). If I remember right he rejected an offer to play in Hamilton last season.

No he wasn't offered any deal that I've heard of. I know in an interview I helped set up with him and someone in Russia he said he wanted to stay in Russia for 2 years to bulk up and improve his strength. Well that was over a year ago but perhaps the fact that his club Dynamo hasn't paid him for almost the entire season (still not paid from what I understand) and the fact that he almost got suspended from the RSL for 2 years at the start of the season due to some strange happenings with his contract: he was signed with Neftekhimik, but had a clause in his contract that said if his coach left the team he could go with him, and sure enough last summer his coach left for the RSL champs Dynamo. But after signing with them (legal), he then went on to sign with Ak Bars (illegal) the case went before the RHF and there was talk that he was going to be suspended for 2 years but it ended up his cleared.

Perhaps this plus the hopes of getting a good contract with the Habs, maybe 600K or so, (2 years 2 way per new cba) was enough to get him interested in coming over.

But it should be noted that this info is coming from his agent, someone who will saying anything to help his client get more money. Gainey usually doesn't say much about these things so imo it should be taken with a grain of salt. It makes a lot of sense to get Grabovsky over here, and I fully believe the Habs are interested in getting him signed. I expected/hoped that Gainey would go out and get some of Grabovsky, Emelin, Korpikari, Heino, O'Byrne, even though none of them need to be signed for another year for some and 2 years for Emelin and Grabovsky.

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My bad about Grabovsky. I know a Euro prospect got offered a contract to play in Hamilton but he rejected the deal in order to remain in Europe to make more money. I thought it was Grabovsky but I guess I was wrong.

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My bad about Grabovsky. I know a Euro prospect got offered a contract to play in Hamilton but he rejected the deal in order to remain in Europe to make more money. I thought it was Grabovsky but I guess I was wrong.

It's possible it was him but I hadn't heard or read that anywhere. In fact I can't think of any prospect that was offered a contract and turned it down to play in a Euro league. The only prospect I can think of that turned down a contract was Mark Flood and I never found out why but he signed with the Jackets I think, I know he spent most of the year in the ECHL.

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Wow so Flood turned down a deal, never knew that. What were his projections? I don't think he's on track if he's in the ECHL all season.

He did play a little in the AHL this past season but not much if I recall. He was always a great skating defensemen but on the soft side and lacking strength. I liked how he moved the puck and he seemed to be a smart positional defensemen. I never found out why he turned down a deal. Guess he thought he could get more money or have a better shot with some other team. I had him figured for a good to very good AHLer but I also thought the same thing about Matt Shasby (sort of similar players but Shasby's bigger) I was right if you change AHL to ECHL cause Shasby has been a really good ECHLer but no luck yet in the AHL. Perhaps Flood will fare better since he seems to have a better head for the game. So not a major loss most likely.

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What's up with Pat Hickey and his dislike for Grabovsky? In today's Gazette, May 24, he states that the Habs don't need any more undersized forwards [ie. Grabovsky]. This despite the fact that Grabovsky tore it up at the World Championships, earning a spot on the tournament's first all star team, beside the likes of Crosby & Ovechkin. This despite the fact that the Habs line of offensive prospects at centre is shallow. Hickey quotes two differing sets of physical attributes for Grabovsky, 5'11" 181 lbs & 5'9" 172 lbs. The latter was likely based on his draft year, and just as likely not updated, despite the fact that he's now 2 years older, which makes the former stats more believable.

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What's up with Pat Hickey and his dislike for Grabovsky? In today's Gazette, May 24, he states that the Habs don't need any more undersized forwards [ie. Grabovsky]. This despite the fact that Grabovsky tore it up at the World Championships, earning a spot on the tournament's first all star team, beside the likes of Crosby & Ovechkin. This despite the fact that the Habs line of offensive prospects at centre is shallow. Hickey quotes two differing sets of physical attributes for Grabovsky, 5'11" 181 lbs & 5'9" 172 lbs. The latter was likely based on his draft year, and just as likely not updated, despite the fact that he's now 2 years older, which makes the former stats more believable.

I don't think that hickey dislike grabovsky but he does make a point...all our centermen are the same size except for bonk.

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What's up with Pat Hickey and his dislike for Grabovsky? In today's Gazette, May 24, he states that the Habs don't need any more undersized forwards [ie. Grabovsky]. This despite the fact that Grabovsky tore it up at the World Championships, earning a spot on the tournament's first all star team, beside the likes of Crosby & Ovechkin. This despite the fact that the Habs line of offensive prospects at centre is shallow. Hickey quotes two differing sets of physical attributes for Grabovsky, 5'11" 181 lbs & 5'9" 172 lbs. The latter was likely based on his draft year, and just as likely not updated, despite the fact that he's now 2 years older, which makes the former stats more believable.

Yep, I agree. I’m having issues with Hickey on this too. I mean, man the glass is HALF FULL! I understand that Pat thinks we do not need more Euro smallish forwards but, what would he prefer? Would he prefer that Grabovsky didn’t emerge at all? Would he prefer we didn’t have him? Would he rather the Leafs, Sens or Sabres had him?

Just because Grabovsky is Belarussian and small doesn’t mean we shouldn’t count our blessings. This is purely and simply: A BONUS! If we are overloaded with grade A or B Euros, that is a good thing. There is a team out there who will trade to get the Grabovsky’s of the universe. If we were to have 2 more Euro bonuses emerge, even better.

I’ll put it this way: Imagine we have 3 Grabovsky clones. How hard would it be to trade the 3 of them for a bona fide Canadian or American born sniper?

THE GLASS IS HALF FULL!

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Mikhail Gabrovsky 5-11

Montreal Centres:

Saku Koivu 5-10

Mike Ribiero 6-0

Tomas Plekanec 5-10

Radek Bonk 6-3

Average 6-0

Buffalo Centres:

Daniel Briere 5-10

Chris Drury 5-10

Tim Connoly 6-1

Derek Roy 5-9

Average 5-10.5

Chicago Centres:

Mark Bell 6-4

Curtis Brown 6-0

Mark Cullen 5-11

Patrick Sharp 6-1

Average 6-1

Enough said

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So does this mean that he will be going straight to the Habs or spend time with the Bulldogs??

:hlogo:

yes.

:king: :hlogo: :king:

Edited by shortcat1
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I don't think that hickey dislike grabovsky but he does make a point...all our centermen are the same size except for bonk.

I tend to sympathize with that but, on the other hand, if the guy's good, the guy's good.

Throw him away because he's on the small size? I thought that the new NHL was ready made for fast, talented players and will become even more so. Check out Buffalo - killing in the playoffs.

:king: :hlogo: :king:

Edited by shortcat1
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I say let's see him play first. If he is good we whould keep him, if he isn't we shouldn't.

I am looking forward to the how the team looks next season. It seems that we have some burgeoning and developing talent on our hands that could make for a good core of players for years to come. And, with the boys from the '80s at the helm, I think we are headed for good things.

About Hickey ... sports writers have to write about something ... or sometimes anything ... don't take what he says as gospel ... otherwise he would probably be in the GMs entourage somewhere making better coin.

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