The cost of success

The Maple Leafs were singing the praises of Mikhail Grabovski Saturday night, and rightly so.

Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf went as far as calling his teammate, "one of the most underrated players in the league."

With the way he is playing, Grabovski won't be underrated for much longer. In fact, there could come a point very soon when the 27-year-old centre will be in huge demand. Grabovski is in the final year of his contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency July 1, 2012.

Coming off a 29-goal, 58-point season and playing on Toronto's No. 2 line with Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur, Grabovski seems to be building on that breakout year. Although his current numbers - four goals and eight points in 11 games - translate to 30 goals and 60 points in 82 games, there's every reason to believe, watching him play, that when Kulemin finds his offensive game, Grabovski's stats could go up, too.

On Saturday, Grabovski came out on top in a head-to-head match-up against superstar Evgeni Malkin in a 4-3 Toronto win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was easily his most impressive outing of the young campaign. Each player had a goal and an assist, but Grabovski finished plus-1 while Malkin, who did indeed play very well, too, was minus-1. The fact Grabovski's team was victorious gives him the slight edge over his opponent.

After a slow start to his season - he scored just once in Toronto's first five games - Grabovski has kicked it into gear. As the Maple Leafs attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, he becomes an increasingly more important player. If he doesn't continue to play at a high level, they stand virtually no chance of making it to the post-season dance.

And if he does continue being one of the team's best two-way performers, then the Maple Leafs are going to have to cough up some big money next summer. Grabovski currently earns $3.1 million this season after making $2.85 million last year. If he were to finish with 30 goals and 60 points, Grabovski could easily command upwards of $4-4.5 million a season for five or six years to remain with the Maple Leafs. If he scores more, then obviously his price would go up.

The Leafs, by the way, do not as per club policy, comment on contract negotiations, however they do acknowledge Grabovski is a valuable member of the organization.

If you are wondering about comparables to Grabovski, Tomas Plekanec, 29, parlayed a 25-goal, 70-point season with the Montreal Canadiens in 2009-10 into a five-year, $25 million contract. Likewise, Mike Ribeiro of the Dallas Stars, who is 31, scored 18 goals and 59 points in 2006-07 and midway through the following year was rewarded with a five-year, $25-million deal. I'd take Grabovski over either of those players.

"Grabovski is getting better," said one opposition team's pro scout. "You could make the case he's a better two-way player than (Tim) Connolly and even if he's not Toronto's No. 1 centre; he is the team's best centre."

Another pro scout from a different organization said, "There is a maturity about his game now. It took a while, but he seems to be a very determined team player whose individual skills make him a valuable player."

Grabovski is one of four Leafs who can become UFAs next summer. Centre Philippe Dupuis, defenceman John-Michael Liles and goalie Jonas Gustavsson are the others. The following summer, however, the bulk of Toronto's forwards become UFAs; among them Connolly, Joffrey Lupul, Matthew Lombardi, MacArthur, Colby Armstrong, Tyler Bozak, David Steckel and Colton Orr.

So you see, how the Leafs do this season will have a large impact on how GM Brian Burke continues to try to mould a championship team. Building on last season's strong conclusion to the year, the Maple Leafs are off to a good start. True, they have not played too many of the teams that are expected to contend for the Stanley Cup yet, but there is no denying this team has more skill and depth than any Leafs team in recent memory.

Regardless of which direction Burke goes, it's hard to imagine him not wanting to keep a player as young and as skilled as Grabovski.

"It depends on if he wants to stay in Toronto or if he wants to test the market and go to the highest bidder," said one agent. "If he stays in Toronto he'll probably take a little less than what he could get if he goes to another team."

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.