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Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel Snipes

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Some great goals by a great player. So glad to have Grabo on our team, one of the few Leafs with high end skill AND high end heart. Pretty much all of his goals against Boston, Montreal and Buffalo were beauties.
 
Oh man does that ever make me miss hockey.

One thing about Grabo is that he doesn't have a great release. His shot is great, it just takes him longer than real sharp shooters to get the puck off his stick. If he could figure out how reduce the wind-up time he'd be potting 30. His accuracy is damn good, though.


Another thing I noticed is how good of a passer MacArthur is.
 
I would love to see a second line of

JVR - Grabo - MacA

move Kule to 3rd line

try Bozak, Kadri at top C and see who works. Other one plays wing on 3rd line with Kulemin.
 
The Amazing Ralph said:
I would love to see a second line of

JVR - Grabo - MacA

move Kule to 3rd line

try Bozak, Kadri at top C and see who works. Other one plays wing on 3rd line with Kulemin.
Click to expand...

B-b-b-but this team will never win anything with Grabo as our 2nd line center!!!!!
 
I'd argue that our problem is not having Grabo as 2c, it's not having a legit 1c

Heck, is there any posssible way to disagree with that?
 
I was actually watching this video yesterday, thinking the exact same thing. When he has even a second to prepare he can put it perfectly in the top corner. He manages to get it up so fast. Also, I love his backhand goals.
 
Although not the flashiest goal, #13 is amazing. Anyone who plays hockey knows how difficult it is to pull off a backhand chip shot like that, especially the velocity he put on it.
 
Goal #3 in OT vs Montreal was probably my favorite Toronto goal of the season. Such a beauty!!
 
The Amazing Ralph said:
I'd argue that our problem is not having Grabo as 2c, it's not having a legit 1c

Heck, is there any posssible way to disagree with that?
Click to expand...
Only the odd hockey Pejorative Slur would disagree with you. Grabo is clearly one of the best players on the team, and definitely a good #2 C. There are a tonne of problems with our team (no #1 C, no #1 goalie, no dman with high end skill who is also reliable in his own end, a general lack of defensive ability and toughness, etc.), but Grabo as the #2 C is definitely NOT one of those problems, he's one of our strengths. Looking at playoff teams last year, Grabo would easily have been the #2 C on Chicago, Washington, Ottawa, Nashville (arguably #1), Phoenix (arguably #1) and Florida (arguably #1), and would arguably have been the #2 C on NYR, St. Louis, NJ and Philly. He's clearly a good #2 C, and good enough to be a #2 C on a contender, even if he isn't one of the absolutely elite #2 Cs (like Malkin, Zetterberg, Mike Richards, Kesler or Bergeron). I have him as a top 10 2nd line centre in the league last year, and was better than a handful of 1st line centres as well.

If we could replace Bozak and Connolly with 2 more Grabos, I honestly think we'd be a solid playoff team, even without a legit starting goalie:

Lupul - Grabo - Kessel
JVR - Grabo - Mac
Kulemin - Grabo - Frattin
Kadri - McClement - Brown

Gunnarsson - Phaneuf
Gardiner - Franson
Liles - Komi

Reimer
Scrivens
 
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ponder said:
Only the odd hockey Pejorative Slur would disagree with you. Grabo is clearly one of the best players on the team, and definitely a good #2 C. There are a tonne of problems with our team (#1 C, #1 goalie, a dman with high end skill who is also reliable in his own end, general defensive ability and toughness throughout the lineup, etc.), but Grabo as the #2 C is definitely NOT one of those problems, he's one of our strengths. Looking at playoff teams last year, Grabo was way better than many of their #2 Cs (way better than the #2 Cs on Chicago, Nashville, Phoenix, Washington and Ottawa, and arguably better than the #2 Cs on NYR, St. Louis, NJ and Philly). He's clearly a good #2 C, and good enough to be a #2 C on a contender, even if he isn't one of the absolutely elite #2 Cs (like Malkin, Zetterberg, Mike Richards, Kesler or Bergeron).

If we could replace Bozak and Connolly with 2 more Grabos, I honestly think we'd be a solid playoff team, even without a legit starting goalie:

Lupul - Grabo - Kessel
JVR - Grabo - Mac
Kulemin - Grabo - Frattin
Kadri - McClement - Brown

Gunnarsson - Phaneuf
Gardiner - Franson
Liles - Komi

Reimer
Scrivens
Click to expand...

I'll get right on that.

mad_scientist-1-e1323198811350.jpg
 
That 5th goal, the one against the Devils, was off one of the nicest passes I've ever seen. Gardiner's something special.

Also, I'm very surprised by how many of these goals seemed to occur when Grabovski and Kessel were on the ice at the same time. Considering Wilson never really tried them together over his entire tenure, maybe it is actually about time to put them together on a line. Kessel could create that extra half a second Grabovski needs to get off that shot of his.
 
Just wanted to make an observation for that guy who likes to say Grabovski scores goals when it doesnt matter.

8 tying goals, one late in the third.

1 OT goal, and a thing of beauty.

2 goals when trailing by one.

6 goals when down by two goals, four in the third period (two of those late third).

3 goals when up by one, one of those very late in the third.


Just last season. Most of those goals showed a lot of skill. Some seriously disgusting corner snipes, and a few of those he scored off passes that were very hard to handle.
 
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