Quote:
Originally Posted by Et le But
Grigorenko was an incredible draft pick for Buffalo.
First of all, for where he was picked. Second of all, the Sabres needed high end skill more than intangibles or whatever. Third, they also got the opposite in Girgensons, who gives them all the drive they need.
Actually the Grigorenko situation shows you that with a few calculated risks you don't need to tank regularly to get potentially elite talent. It's telling that both the Habs and Leafs passed on him, not to mention the Caps and their Russian love, but Buffalo still got very lucky.
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If Grigorenko ends up being an 80+ pt regular season producer who is paid at or near the max salary but disappears in the playoffs he actually has negative value if the team's goal is to win the Stanley Cup. His salary will prevent the team from adding the parts that are required to build a winner.
I see these type of players as more of a hinderance than an asset. Galchenyuk on the other hand is the type of player that will thrive under pressure because he places that pressure on himself to be the very best that he can be. When the other team targets a player like Galchenyuk during a playoff series he will fight to overcome these obstacles whereas players like Grigorenko tend to become less involved and lurk harmlessly on the perimeter. Galchenyuk pushes the play and forces defenders into making mistakes. Grigorenko is more passive where he waits for the other team to allow him to take advantage of their mistakes. Unfortunately for players like Grigorenko, these mistakes are few and far between in the playoffs. Much like Joe Thornton he may still get his power play points but will be invisible for long stretches. The fans and media in Montreal would eat him alive if they don't like his effort.......I don't foresee this being a problem with Galchenyuk.