Jackets’ Grigorenko aims for reset
Russian went home to rejuvenate career
It was time for a reboot.
After two underwhelming seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, both on one-year contracts, Mikhail Grigorenko felt his NHL dream slipping away after the 2016-17 season. He was 23 and already had logged parts of five seasons with the Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo had drafted him 12th overall in 2012 and played their top prospect in 68 games over three seasons before trading him to the Avalanche.
The hope in Colorado was that a change of scenery would spark Grigorenko’s career, but it didn’t pan out. The Avalanche didn’t extend a qualifying offer in July 2017 to keep him as a restricted free agent, after he’d totaled 16 goals, 34 assists and 50 points in 149 games. The young forward’s career was suddenly at a crossroads.
“I think it’s just so much about confidence,” said Grigorenko, who played in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia the past three seasons before signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Blue Jackets this summer.
“As a young player, every year you keep working on things. Your shot gets better, you work on skating a lot and you work on different parts of the game. You watch video, you learn how to be a pro and with all of those things you improve. But I think confidence is the biggest thing here.”
That’s what he feels was missing most in both Buffalo and Colorado, where roles on the third and fourth lines didn’t help build his confidence. In fact, it was heavily dented when Grigorenko signed in 2017 with CSKA Moskova, the Moscow-based program whose youth teams he’d played for prior to joining the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
After getting used to new teammates, new coaches and a new league in 2017-18 – again skating on the third and fourth lines – Grigorenko’s confidence skyrocketed the past two seasons. He earned a role at right wing on the top line, and his offensive skill showed while playing with former NHL center Linden Vey and left wing Kirill Kaprisov, a highly regarded Minnesota Wild prospect.
“I was able to find that offensive touch that I was not able to produce as much as I would’ve liked in the NHL,” said Grigorenko, who averaged nearly a point per game the past two seasons. “Hopefully in the second time around, I’ll be able to continue to produce as I did in the KHL.”
That’s what the Blue Jackets are hoping, too. There is belief among the team’s scouting staff that his skills can translate into an effective NHL forward, who’s still only 26.
“He’s just getting into his prime as a player,” said general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who personally scouted Grigorenko in Russia. “I think the positive thing is there are other levels for him to get to still. It’s not like he’s plateaued or will plateau now. I think he can keep getting better for the next five years or more.”
Should that happen with the Blue Jackets, who struggled offensively last season, it would be like unearthing a gem – especially with a forward who’s comfortable playing all three forward positions with a left-hand shot.
“I don’t think they can say where I’m going to play yet,” said Grigorenko, who is living in Columbus along with his wife, Amelie, and their three children. “One thing that I know Jarmo liked about me is that I’m a really versatile player. I can fill in any spot in the lineup, so I think that’s a little bit to my advantage here.”
Familiarity with a couple of new teammates might also help.
Grigorenko resides in his wife’s hometown of Quebec City in the summer and one of their neighbors is David Savard, a stalwart on the Blue Jackets’ second defensive pairing. Savard’s partner in that pairing, Vladislav Gavrikov, is also familiar with Grigorenko after they played together on Russian national teams, winning a gold medal at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“I talked to (Gavrikov) before I signed, just to get a little bit of feedback on the city and the team, and he had a lot of nice things to say,” said Grigorenko, who has also met Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno and other teammates. “I’m super excited. It’s a great opportunity for me. I’m really excited to play against the best players in the world again and hopefully I can have more success this time around.” bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger