As impressive as the Toronto Maple Leafs were in their playoff series against the Boston Bruins, Mikhail Grabovski had a different experience. The forward had just two assists and was a minus-10 for the Leafs – a performance that came after a 9-goal, 7-assist one in 48 games this season.

I spoke with Grabovski about the Leafs’ playoff run; whether Game 7 was his worst loss of his career; his season under coach Randy Carlyle; his Datsyukian goal attempt; his incident with Max Pacioretty; and what the future holds.

Q. Let’s start with a couple of thoughts about the season.

GRABOVSKI: “The season turned to be positive overall. I wouldn’t say it was the best one for me or very successful, but it was certainly interesting, I gained a lot of experience.”

Yet it ended in a big disappointment. If you were asked to describe what happened in a few words, what would you say?

“I would say… You know, it is so difficult to describe it, very difficult to talk about it. It left a very bad feeling. But it was still an experience. It showed that as a team we are not yet ready to compete for the Stanley Cup. At the same time, we are almost there.”

Did you learn something new about the team during the playoffs?

“Yes, I would certainly say we learned a lot about ourselves. To me personally, I learned that the game is completely different in the playoffs. It is on a different level. The pressure you are under is also very different. We learned that we should be aiming higher, that it is so much more interesting to play in the playoffs, that there is that motivation. We as a team learned that we can certainly lay at that level. And I think the main thing we lacked is experience being in the playoffs as a team.”

Experience to close out a game?

“Exactly. We didn’t have enough experience to finish off the last game when we were up two goals. Maybe we can add to that we lacked some experience playing at home in the playoffs. Because when we lost that game at home in overtime, Boston really pushed us to our own net and held us there, and we didn’t couldn’t sustain that. But this is all experience that we came out with this season.”

Would you call the loss in Game 7 the worst in your career?

“I wouldn’t. I think the worst was when we [Team Belarus] lost to Latvia in the qualifier [for the Olympic games]. This loss to Boston was an experience that is valuable to everyone, something we will learn from a great deal.”

You mentioned earlier that the Leafs are close to the level of being a contender, or how far?

“How far? I think as far as the Bruins were from winning the Cup when I played against them for Montreal [in 2008] (Ed. The Bruins won the Cup three years later). I think our team will grow and add more year after year. And if we keep the core, the roster we had this season, I think it is fair to say Toronto will be a real contender.”

Coach Carlyle was using you inconsistently this season, sometimes as a shutdown center, sometimes not. Was it difficult for you to adjust to the changes and inconsistencies?

“It was an experience I gained that will certainly help me in the future, in the playoffs. And the playoffs showed that the season was the one I can count as a good one, even though I was not as productive, I enjoyed my game. I hope I am going to show progress in every role that the coach will use me in. Although I would really like to play more offence. I think this is my main strength with everything else, like the games against the Bruins, is an addition.”

How different were the coaching styles of Wilson and Carlyle?

“Yes, I think so. Wilson is more of a European type coach, if you can say that. Carlyle is a pure Canadian coach.”

Could you elaborate?

“Carlyle’ style is about power hockey, fast hockey, no mistakes in the neutral zone. A more rational type of hockey.”

What were you told during the exit interview before the team went on the summer break?

“I was told that I had a good season. What more could have been said? Everyone was very upset after that loss. But at the same time everyone is very determined, everyone is already thinking about the next season. I was told to get ready for the next season.”

What was the best moment of the season for you?

“The playoffs for sure. Even though for me personally it was without goals, without the positive plus/minus rating, the layoff games were the one of the highlights of my professional career.”

Story continues