Colorado Avalanche forward Mikhail Grigorenko — a big question mark last season — is the latest player to receive his season grade.
Colorado Avalanche forward Mikhail Grigorenko played his junior hockey under current Avs head coach Patrick Roy and was a highly touted offensive player in the 2012 draft. The Buffalo Sabres selected him 12th overall, but he never caught on with the organization. Last off season, the Sabres traded him to the Avs as part of the Ryan O’Reilly deal.
Grigorenko spent the majority of his first season with Colorado playing just about every role. Some nights he was a healthy scratch. Other nights he was on the top line with Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon. His role fluctuated based on injuries and performance.
Player Statistics
| Games |
PlayedGoalsAssistsPointsGoal % of PointsAssist % of Points 74 6 21 27 22.2% 77.8%Even Strength Goal %PP Goal %SOGShooting %Even Strength Assist %PP Assist % 83.3% 16.7% 84 7.1% 85.7% 14.3%
Take AwaysGive AwaysTurnover +/-BlocksHitsTOI per Game 21 18 +3 39 23 13.26
Player Grade: C-
I feel that it’s a little tough to grade Grigorenko’s first season with the Colorado Avalanche. If you take into account the expectations (many were hoping that he’d replace Ryan O’Reilly’s production right from the start, which was wishful thinking) then he failed.
But if you look at him as an unfinished product looking for a fresh start, which is what I’m doing, then I think he did alright for himself. He struggled defensively, but name me one Avalanche player that didn’t. He showed glimpses of his offensive brilliance when skating with other talented offensive players, but certainly wasn’t good enough to carry the team when Duchene and MacKinnon were hurt and floundered when playing with guys like Jack Skille and John Mitchell.
It’s obvious that Grigorenko is talented. He has great vision and passing. However, his inconsistencies are worrying. How much of that was being in and out of the lineup and on different lines, and how much of that is him as a player?
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Player Future
Grigorenko is 21 years old and will be a restricted free agent when the season officially ends. He’ll likely be back with the Colorado Avalanche and on probably a pretty cheap deal. Where does he fit though?
I believe that he needs to play top six minutes to be effective, but that means moving him or Duchene/MacKinnon to the wing. If he’s not playing in the top six, he’s honestly a useless player. Not because he isn’t talented, but because playing a bottom six role means playing with bottom six players. He’s too talented for that role and too talented to play with guys who can’t match his offensive talent.
Let’s assume that the core three (Duchene, MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog) are back. Factor in the possible re-signing of Mikkel Boedker, the addition of Alexander Radulov, and the promotion of Mikko Rantanen and all of a sudden there isn’t room for Grigorenko in the top six. Roy could get creative with his lines, but trying to balance out the lines instead of stacking them has rarely worked for this team.
The good news is that Roy loves Grigorenko and obviously wants him to succeed. He brought him to the Colorado Avalanche for a reason. Now it’s up to both parties to hold up their end of the bargain. Roy needs to put him in a position to succeed, and Mikhail Grigorenko needs to succeed.