Mikhail Grigorenko

Grigorenko first played competitive junior hockey in his native Russia with Krasnaya Armiya in the MHL, the junior team to CSKA Moscow. In the 2010–11 season, as a 16-year old, Grigorenko impressively showed an early offensive touch, contributing 17 goals and 35 points in 43 games.

In June 2011, Grigorenko was selected second overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).[2] Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Roy, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Remparts, liked Grigorenko so much he traded up in the Import Draft to select him.[3]

Grigorenko played 59 games with the Remparts during the 2011–12 season, his first in North America, and scored 40 goals and 45 assists for 85 points. He led all rookie players in the QMJHL in goals and points, and was second for assists to capture the Michel Bergeron Trophy. He also finished fifth overall in goals scored and was tied for eighth overall for points while playing the fewest games of any player who was in the top ten in points.[3] Earning selection to the All-Rookie and First All-Star Teams, on 20 March 2012, Grigorenko was also nominated and chosen as the top professional prospect to play in the QMJHL during 2011–12 with the Mike Bossy Trophy.[4]

Mikhail Grigorenko (25) in the center celebrating a goal with Quebec Remparts' teammates

As a top-rated forward prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Grigorenko was selected in the first round, 12th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres. On 18 July 2012, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sabres.[5] With the 2012–13 NHL lockout delaying the beginning of the NHL season, Grigorenko was reassigned to start the season back with the Remparts, where he played 32 games and recorded 50 points during the season prior to the lockout ending in January. At the time, he was leading the Remparts and was fifth in the QMJHL with 29 goals, and his 50 points were second on the team.[6]

When the lockout ended in January, Grigorenko was invited to the Sabres' training camp, where he made the roster for the start of the season.[7] After playing five games with the Sabres, the team opted to keep Grigorenko for the remainder of the season rather than send him back to the Remparts; had they done so, the season would not have counted as one year expired on his entry-level contract.[8] On 29 January, Grigorenko scored his first career NHL goal, against James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs, becoming the fifth-youngest Sabre to score in franchise history.[9]

After 22 games with the Sabres, where he recorded one goal and four assists, Grigorenko was reassigned to the Remparts on 15 March 2013.[10] Grigorenko went on to lead the Remparts in playoff scoring with 14 points in 11 games before being recalled by the Sabres on 16 April.[11]

Grigorenko began the 2013–14 season with the Sabres. However, with the Sabres cleaning out the front office and coaching staff, and with an imperative to rely less on the youth from new head coach Ted Nolan, he was returned to junior after sporadically appearing in just 18 games on 11 January 2014.[12] He reported to the Remparts several days later after initially refusing to do so.[13] In his final junior season with the Remparts, Grigorenko dominated in his 23 appearances, collecting 15 goals and 39 points in the regular season. With an early post-season exit, Grigorenko was then assigned to Buffalo's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans, to play out the remainder of the year.

In his first full professional year, Grigorenko split the 2014–15 season, between the Sabres and Rochester. Beginning the year with the Sabres, Grigorenko would be shuffled between the NHL and AHL on five separate occasions.[14] In 43 games with the Americans, Grigorenko continued to show his offensive promise in posting 14 goals and 36 points. He returned to complete the season with the Sabres, scoring 6 points in 25 games.

On 26 June 2015, at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, as an impending restricted free agent, Grigorenko was traded by the Sabres in a package that included Nikita Zadorov, J. T. Compher and the 31st pick in the draft to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn.[15] Grigorenko then signed to an initial one-year, one-way contract with the Avalanche on 17 July.[16]

Grigorenko's arrival in Colorado marked a reunion with former junior coach and then head coach of the Avalanche, Patrick Roy. He made the Avalanche roster after his first training camp, opening the 2015–16 season. After being a healthy scratch for three games, Grigorenko made his Avalanche debut centering the fourth line, collecting an assist on a Jack Skille goal in a 3–0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on 16 October 2015.[17] He continued with fourth-line duties until injury gave him an opportunity in a top-six scoring role. Grigorenko responded in recording his first goal for the Avalanche in a three-point night against the Montreal Canadiens on 14 November 2017. He compiled seven points in six contests on an East Coast road trip before he was returned to the fourth line. Grigorenko later secured a role on a scoring line through the midpoint of the year to play his first full season in the NHL, recording a career-high 6 goals and 27 points in 74 games.[18]

In the off-season, as a restricted free agent, Grigorenko originally filed for arbitration. However, ahead of his scheduled meeting, he agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Avalanche on 21 July 2016.[19] With the surprise departure of head coach Patrick Roy, Grigorenko initially impressed incoming head coach Jared Bednar, leading the Avalanche in pre-season scoring.[20] However, in the 2016–17 season, he was unable to maintain his offensive production as a consistent scoring threat. While lacking the physicality for a lower depth role, Grigorenko (mainly playing on the wing) collected 10 goals for 23 points in 75 games for the cellar-dwelling Avalanche.

On 26 June 2017, Grigorenko was not tendered a qualifying contract by the Avalanche and became an unrestricted free agent.[21]

As a free agent, Grigorenko garnered NHL interest however opted to return to Russia in agreeing to a three-year contract his original junior club, CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), on 3 July 2017.[22]

In the second year of his contract with CSKA in the 2018–19 season, Grigorenko improved upon his previous seasons totals, in leading the club in scoring with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points in 55 regular season games. In the playoffs, Grigorenko continued to lead CSKA's offense, helping return the club to the Gagarin Cup finals, selected as the finals best forward in helping CSKA claim their first Championship in the KHL by scoring 6 points in the four-game series sweep against Avangard Omsk. He scored in three games and recorded the first-ever Gagarin Cup finals’ hat-trick (in the first game of the series, including the game-winning goal).[23]

On April 20, 2020, Grigorenko planned a return to the NHL, signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, the NHL rejected the contract, stating that it must be refiled on the first day of free agency for the 2020–21 season.[24]