For possibly the first time since Pierre Turgeon was picked first overall, the Sabres have a player capable of making the jump to the NHL immediately from the draft.

Mikhail Grigorenko entered draft weekend as the fifth ranked North American skater and was ranked as high as number two for most of the 2011-12 season. While there were some speed bumps down the stretch that caused him to slip in the draft, Grigorenko is still a draft lottery talent that the Sabres were able to grab at number 12.

With Darcy Regier already trying to work on a contract, it seems as if the Sabres are going to give Grigorenko the opportunity to prove himself on the NHL roster. Since he is underage, Grigorenko is due at least a nine-game audition before burning a year on his yet-to-be-signed entry level deal. The fact that Grigorenko is doing and saying all the right things is making me more comfortable with him by the minute.

The Sabres under Ruff and Regier has not been an organization to rush prospects along. However, they have also only had one lottery pick (Thomas Vanek) to make such a decision on. Only Tyler Myers in 2008-09 and 2009-10 had the Sabres in a pinch as to the course of action they wished to pursue with a top prospect.

Not only is Grigorenko an elite prospect with gaudy numbers, he fills a hole the team has been trying to fill for well over 12 months. In fact, by the time prospect camp begins, it will be a full calendar year since the last solution at center (Ville Leino) was brought onto the roster.

The decision to put Grigorenko right into the NHL will probably be decided by what the Sabres do in free agency. However, this doesn’t seem like it would be a bad idea. Continue reading →