The pro career of Sabres forward has been pretty well documented, but for the uninitiated, a quick synopsis:
--12th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. No one could get a handle on where he would be picked as the "experts" had him going anywhere from 3rd-overall (Central Scouting) to 17th (TSN's Craig Button.)
--On July 18, 2012 signed his three-year, entry-level contract.
--August, 2012, competes for Russia in the four-game Russia/Canada Challenge. Finished with 0 goals and one assist. "Wildly inconsistent" was the verdict on his play.
--2013 World Junior Championships. Ryan Kennedy writes that Grigorenko is the main man for Russia, not Nail Yakupov. Grigorenko has two goals and three assists in 6 games, Russia wins silver medal.
--January, 2013. NHL training camps open after lockout ends. Expectations for Grigorenko are high. In 33 games for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL he has 30 goals and 24 assists.
--Grigorenko makes the Sabres squad, rumors that he will stick past the ninth game before his entry-level contract kicks in start emerging.
--January 29, 2013. Plays vs. Toronto, entry-level contract kicks in.
--Grigorenko struggles, sees fourth-line duty, has some time in the press box.
--March 17, 2013. Grigorenko sent back to the Remparts. Said GM Darcy Regier, "This is driven by what's best for Mikhail and best for his career." Finishes the season in the playoffs with Rochester. Plays in two games without hitting the scoresheet.
--Regier pretty much guarantees a roster spot for Grigorenko for 2013-14.
--Plays in 18 games for the Sabres in October and November registering two goals, one assist and a ton of time on the fourth-line or in the pressbox.
--November 13, 2013. Regier and head coach Ron Rolson are fired and replaced by President of Hockey Operations Pat LaFontaine and interim head coach, Ted Nolan.
--November 21, 2013. LaFontaine tries to slip Grigorenko down to Rochester. NHL rejects the "conditioning assignment." Grigorenko convinces LaFontaine and Nolan that he should stick with the big club and he does until December, 2014.
--Joins Team Russia for the 2014 World Juniors. Russia wins bronze. In seven games Grigorenko scores 5 goals and adds three assists.
--January 9, 2014. LaFontaine hires Tim Murray as new Sabres GM.
--January 11, 2014. Grigorenko sent to junior for the second time.
--After being informed he was being sent to junior, Grigorenko "was a little bit upset," said Nolan. Grigorenko refuses assignment.
--January 13, 2014. Grigorenko accepts junior assignment. Scores 15 goals and adds 24 assists in 23 games for Quebec. Has one goal and eight assists in nine in playoffs.
--Says goodbye to junior as he joins the Rochester Americans for their final nine regular season games. Has zero goals and four assists. Plays in five games for the Amerks in the playoffs without registering a point.
--Takes responsibility and comes into Sabres camp last summer fully committed and in the best shape of his career and has "impressive" training camp.
--October 7, 2014. Rookie Sam Reinhart (2014, 2nd-overall) sticks with Sabres, Grigorenko sent to Rochester.
--2014-15 season. In 39 games for Rochester has 11 goals and 21 assists. In 12 games for Buffalo, 1 goal, 1 assist.
--February 3, 2015. Suffers knee injury that keeps him nearly an entire month.
--February 27, 2015. Returns to action in a 4-3 OT loss against Toronto. Zero points, minus-2.
--March 2-3, 2015. Murray purges veterans, ices a host of Rochester call-ups including Grigorenko. Ends up as insurance if an injured Tyler Ennis is unable to play. Is a healthy scratch.
--March 4, 2015. Sent back to Rochester has a goal and registers a plus-2 while being blanked in the shootout in a 3-2 SO loss to Utica.
--March 5, 2015. Recalled by the Sabres.
--March 6, 2015. Has been centering Marcus Foligno and Brian Gionta on the second line.
After practice yesterday Grigorenko said that he's feeling much better, “I got stronger on my skates because of that injury,” he said. “I had to focus on my leg strength. I’ve been getting lower on battles in the corners. It helps protect my knee, but it helps my game and gives me better balance too.”
“Last night he said he felt much better, had a little bit more jump in his legs,” said coach Ted Nolan. “As far as practice is concerned today, I thought he skated as well as I’ve seen him skate.”
But can he bring it come game-time?
“Skill can only get you so far," said Nolan. "there’s a lot of guys with skill, but if you have no will with that skill, the skill’s no good, so he’s got to work, he’s got to compete and if you do that with that skill, you should have good results.”
Said Kris Baker of sabrespropects.com of Grigorenko (via HockeyHotline) when asked what he expects said "I just want him to compete hard. I want him to create offense and be in the right spots defensively. He needs to find his wingers and put the pucks on their sticks. I think that supporting
his d-men is key."
We'll see. He's got 18 games to prove he has made significant progress in all of those areas to latch on to an NHL roster spot.
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