Mikhail Grabovski might be potentially mere months away from becoming an unrestricted free agent on a team that hasn’t been able to re-sign him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s on the trade market. While the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose recent slump has pushed them out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference, might be looking to make a deal to spark their team, Leafs GM Brian Burke isn’t planning on trading Grabovski.
If anything, Toronto will be buyers at the deadline and we could only see Grabovski being dealt if it were part of a much bigger deal. You could argue that, as a team that doesn’t seem to be poised to win the Stanley Cup this season, they should be focused on getting a return for Grabovski even if it hurts their chances of securing the eighth seed.
The Maple Leafs likely aren’t considering that course of action. That’s the peril of being on the playoff bubble and deciding whether to buy or sell.