While silence hangs over Nationwide Arena these days, the building’s NHL tenant Columbus Blue Jackets made a bit of noise in free agency today, signing former Buffalo No. 12 overall pick in 2012, Mikhail Grigorenko, to a one-year contract.
After seven seasons in North America, across the QMJHL, AHL and two NHL teams (Buffalo and Colorado), Grigorenko returned to Russia in 2017, joining CSKA Moscow, where he has averaged nearly a point per game the last two seasons.
During a media conference today, Columbus General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen pointed to the 6-foot-2, 215-pound centerman’s improvement over that time, while Columbus has apparently scouted him heavily in that timeframe.
Now 25 years old, Grigorenko potentially adds some of what the Blue Jackets need: playmaking and scoring from the center position.
We will have more on where Grigorenko fits into the Blue Jackets’ lineup as we hear it. Please comment below.