Zemgus Girgensons often gets a bad rap among the Buffalo Sabres faithful. While he never lived to expectations, he is no Mikhail Grigorenko.
In 2012, the Buffalo Sabres had two picks in the top 15 – Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons. They hit on neither, though Girgensons had his moments and lasted with the organization into the 2020s.
Grigorenko played in just 68 games for the Sabres and he never developed into the center they expected. He had awesome size, at 6’3, 209lb, plus sensational credentials given his time with the Quebec Ramparts of the QMJHL. Between 2011 and 2013, Grigorenko played in 92 games with the Ramparts, scoring 139 points, 70 goals, and 69 assists.
He impressed the Sabres so much that, for the 2012-13 NHL Season, they added him straight to the main roster. In hindsight, that was not the brightest move.
After the Buffalo Sabres added Grigorenko, they flopped and never developed into the player they expected.
How bad was he? Grigorenko scored just five times in 25 games, recording one goal, and a shooting percentage of 3.2%. The Sabres, realizing Grigorenko was not ready for the big time, shipped him to Rochester for an extended period in 2014-15, where he played in 43 games and recorded 36 points and 14 goals.
As for his stat line in Buffalo that season? Six points, three goals, and three assists in 25 games. At this point, he overstayed his welcome in the system and the Sabres shipped Grigorenko to the Colorado Avalanche. The trade included Grigorenko, a 2015 second round pick, J.T. Compher, and Nikita Zadorov for Ryan O’Reilly, and Jamie McGinn.
In Grigorenko’s defense, he at least made the most of his two seasons in Colorado, playing in 149 games while recording 50 points, 16 goals, and 34 assists. Okay, maybe he didn’t fare well in the points category, but he won 57.8% of his face-offs (111-81) in 2016-17.
Grigorenko never lived up to his status as the 12th overall pick. But let’s give the Sabres some credit – they picked a kid who enjoyed a stellar career at the QMJHL level. But he could have developed into something better had they let him play longer at the junior hockey level and perhaps a short stint in the AHL.
Article Source: Grading Buffalo Sabres’ First-Round Picks in the Pegula Era by Matthew Morris
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Hockey DB)