To say the Buffalo Sabres two 2012 first round picks are a complete dichotomy would be a dramatic understatement. 12th overall pick Mikhail Grigorenko and 14th pick Zemgus Girgensons are close to being the same age(unless you buy the rumors that Grigorenko was a few years older than 18 when drafted) but have travelled different paths of development in the two years since being selected and that may be a large factor in their maturation as hockey players and their future in the Sabres organization.
The Sabres thought they had a steal in snagging the big Russian center with the 12th pick, as his name had been mentioned in the same breath as Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk and Ryan Murray as a potential lottery pick, but a subpar showing in the 2012 QMJHL Playoffs and fears of the Russian bolting to the KHL made his stock drop.
Grigorenko played the first half of the 2013 season with the Quebec Remparts until the end of the lockout, but puzzlingly made the Sabres after an abridged training camp in spite of showing little signs of being ready for the NHL. Grigorenko was used mostly in fourth line duty with wingers like Patrick Kaleta and John Scott instead of being placed with skill players by Lindy Ruff, mostly because he was a defensive liability due to his inexperience.
After scoring just one goal in 25 games, in spite of already burning the first year of his three year entry-level deal, GM Darcy Regier realized that a mistake was made and sent the Russian forward back to junior, but then repeated the same error in 2013-14, as Grigorenko made the Sabres as a 19-year-old under new coach Ron Rolston, but did not have a major role, get significant ice time or show any improvement.
Once the organization was reshuffled with Ted Nolan behind the bench and GM Tim Murray in control, the Sabres once again decided that the best place for Grigorenko was with Quebec, but the young forward balked at returning to the QMJHL and refused to report to the Remparts in January before being convinced it was his only option.
With the Remparts eliminated from the QMJHL Playoffs, Grigorenko was eligible to play for the AHL Rochester Americans for the last portion of their regular season and playoffs, but he has not made a good impression thus far. After registering four assists in his first three games with the Amerks, Grigorenko went without a point in the final six games of the season, including a virtually ghost-like performance against the Toronto Marlies in the season finale on Saturday.
Contrasting Grigorenko’s underachievement is the play of Girgensons, who signed with the Sabres and was able to go right to the AHL as an 18-year-old after forfeiting his eligibility to play in the NCAA for Vermont. The workmanlike Latvian had a solid rookie season in Rochester, scoring six goals in 61 regular season games and was the Amerks best player in the AHL Playoffs, scoring three goals in a three game Toronto sweep of Rochester.
Girgensons was one of the lone positives for the Sabres organization in 2013-14, impressing many with his performance for Latvia under Nolan in the Sochi Olympics and displaying a high level of effort, energy and leadership with a Buffalo roster that was in constant flux.
John Vogl of the Buffalo News reported this past weekend that based on his relationship with Nolan and the growing respect that the young Latvian has from teammates, that Girgensons may be a candidate for the team captaincy next season.
“He works all the time, and people who work all the time have a tendency to get better,”Nolan said. “Hopefully, that rubs off on some of his peers. Even some of them mentioned that.”
“He earned it,” center Tyler Ennis said of the 20-year-old being the alternate captain “A” for the final regular season game against the New York Islanders on April 13th. “He plays so hard every night. He’s a good example of what everyone should play like.”
While Girgensons appears to be a building block that Tim Murray will not move this summer, it may benefit both the Sabres and Grigorenko if the Sabres GM could arrange a change of scenery for the enigmatic Russian.
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