Colorado Avalanche: Mikhail Grigorenko Must Prove Himself

Mikhail Grigorenko has officially re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche. He was set to go into contract arbitration on July 22.

Colorado Avalanche forward Mikhail Grigorenko’s on a one-year, one-way contract worth $1.3-million dollars. Grigo managed to put up 6 goals and 21 assists last season while playing in 74 games.

By signing the deal he avoided arbitration, which I considered merely to be a negotiation tactic, rather than any sign that he’s ungrateful. For all we know the Avs may have been low-balling him or offering him a two-way deal.

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I don’t need to remind you of how we acquired this talented young forward, but I do think the Ryan O’Reilly trade is relevant in how Avalanche fans evaluate this signing.

For many, if we don’t re-sign Grigorenko, it means we’ve “lost” the trade. If he plays poorly it means we’ve “lost” the trade. I don’t buy any of that. Trades in the NHL are always just about potential.

We traded O’Reilly for the chance that Zadorov, Compher, Greer, and/or Grigo would turn out to be good players. Nothing was ever guaranteed. If all four end up being good it would be a home run, but realistically if two or three of them work out then it will be a great trade for us.

So really, whether or not Grigo signed or if he ends up being a good player are not the most important factors in who wins the O’Reilly trade.

So let’s look at this signing from a purely Avalanche perspective. First off, I really like that it’s just a one-year deal, and I think 1.3 million is a reasonable number based on his production.

Beyond that, I think this contract represents Grigo’s last chance. If he doesn’t prove that he deserves a longer deal, I’d expect him to end up in the KHL sooner rather than later.

The issue with Grigorenko is that he has the talent to play in the top 6, but lacks the speed and drive to really deserve a spot there. Meanwhile he’s not nearly gritty enough or consistent defensively to belong in the bottom 6.

This is why this offseason is so important for him. If he doesn’t work hard on his speed and make some adjustments in his game, I fully expect him to be a healthy scratch more often than not.

He needs to learn to be a bit more aggressive on the ice. He’s shown a reluctance to use his full speed and really get into the play. He seems to prefer to reach in with his stick rather than stepping in with his body.

That style might work in the juniors and even in the AHL, but at the NHL level players are too good at protecting the puck for it to be effective.

So what I want to see when training camp starts is that Grigorenko has spent the offseason working hard on his speed. I want to see him start playing more aggressively and using his body to get and control the puck.

And I fully expect that to happen. See, I know a lot of people questions Grigorenko’s motivation or work ethic, but I’m not sure that’s the problem. He seems like a really competitive guy to me. The issue I think is more one of personality and style than of character.

Next: Nathan MacKinnon’s Development

At the end of last season, we got the chance to see him as a top 6 center on this team, and the results were terrible. He proved to us and to the coaches that he wasn’t ready, and I hope that he proved it to himself too.

It’s your last chance Grigo. Make us all proud.

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