WASHINGTON (AP) — Buffalo Sabres interim head coach Ted Nolan says the organization was surprised by prospect Mikhail Grigorenko’s decision not to report to a junior club in Canada.
Nolan said Sunday that the Sabres knew Grigorenko would be disappointed by the move, but they had “no indication that he wouldn’t report.”
The Sabres assigned the Russian center to the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, wanting the 19-year-old former first-round draft pick to get top-line minutes. Grigorenko has struggled to adapt to the NHL in parts of two seasons, with eight points in 43 career games.
But Grigorenko says he won’t report to Quebec. He said on Facebook: “We just need to find a place for me where I can develop and be the best hockey player I can be.”
