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Player number nine in our player discussion series #25 Mikhail Grigorenko C (20-year-old RFA) Rochester 43/14/22/36/-5/27 Buffalo 25/3/3/6/-10/2 You all know the back story: big, talented centre slides to Buffalo in the draft, is sold as the second coming, gets handed a roster spot he doesn't deserve at 18, flops in two opportunities and bounces between multiple teams and leagues. What is easy to miss in all the hype and disappointment is that he had what would be a pretty promising season for most 20-year-old mid-first round picks. He scored at close to a 70-point pace as an AHL rookie and got a few looks with the big team, settling in on a decent-looking line with Foligno and Gionta down the stretch. In the NHL his offensive skills were only visible in spurts, perhaps because of the deliberate attention he was giving to his defensive responsibilities, perhaps because of uncertain chemistry with most of his linemates, perhaps because he lacked speed and power. No Sabre enters the season with more question marks. He probably could use another half-season in Rochester, but would have to clear waivers in order to do that. He might be ready for sheltered minutes as a top-nine centre, but is competing against the more highly touted Reinhart and Eichel for that role. Is it worth seeing if he can he play wing, or would that just be the latest example of his continued mishandling? Despite a reputation as a less-than hard worker, Grigorenko's issues last year seemed more to do with confidence than effort. He continues to rank highly on various prospect lists and clearly there is talent there. He is the biggest wild card in the Sabres' stable. Will the card be played here, leveraged in a trade or become a squandered opportunity? Links to the rest of the series: Anders Linback: http://forums.sabres...nders-lindback/ Pat Kaleta: http://forums.sabres...patrick-kaleta/ Johan Larsson: http://forums.sabres...-johan-larsson/ Matt Hackett: http://forums.sabres...1-matt-hackett/ Andrej Meszaros: http://forums.sabres...ndrej-meszaros/ Phil Varone, Zac Dalpe, Jerry D'Amigo: http://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/23351-roster-review-varone-dalpe-damigo/

The penultimate entry in our summertime roster review series: #23 Sam Reinhart C (three years left at $894,000 per, age 19) Buffalo 9/0/1/1/-1/2 Kootenay 45/19/46/65/6/20 Canada WJC 7/5/6/11/NA/6 Rochester 3/0/3/3/0/0 Sam Reinhart arrived in Buffalo last summer as the highest-rated forward in a draft that was described as lacking an elite talent up front. That said more about his cerebral style than his effectiveness. This was a player who scored 105 points in 60 games in his draft year, followed by 23 points in 13 playoff games that season for a mediocre Kootenay team. He led Canada to world championship gold at 16 and at 17 and followed that up this year with a third gold medal in four years at 19. The year after his draft, however, was full of ups and downs. A lukewarm training camp led to a taste of the NHL where he looked physically weak and a step behind the play. That was followed by an offensive explosion his first few weeks back in the WHL, capped by a World Junior tournament where he dominated as the number-one centre and led to his being named the NHL’s top prospect. But the afterglow of the WJCs was characterized by decidedly average numbers back in juniors, exacerbated by the pro successes of a handful of other players from his draft year. He restored some of his lustre by being the outstanding player of the Sabres 2015 development camp but remains overshadowed by the acquisitions of Jack Eichel and Ryan O’Reilly. Disappointed in their initial NHL look at their first tanking prize, Sabre fans are uncertain about where Reinhart fits in this fall. Wing? Centre? Top six? Seasoning in Rochester? Tim Murray expects him in Buffalo, proving the second-guessers wrong, but until he does that the whispers will remain. Links to the rest of the series: