from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

It seems crazy to think of this as a make-or-break season for Mikhail Grigorenko. After all, he’s just 20 years old and has played only 43 NHL games. But he’s coming up on the final year of his entry-level contract and decisions need to be made, both by Grigorenko and the Buffalo Sabres.

Large portions of Grigorenko’s first two seasons have been wasted. Can he build his game this year in the AHL or, perhaps in Buffalo? Or is this the last year before he looks at some money and maybe the KHL in Russia? The first step to a change this year was an attitude adjustment.

“From past experiences, I kind of realized it was probably no one’s fault but mine I didn’t stay in the NHL,” Grigorenko said prior to the team’s development camp scrimmage Tuesday night before an announced crowd of 8,725 in First Niagara Center. “If I want to play in the best league in the world, it’s just on me. No one’s going to just let me play because I was drafted first round. I just need to go out there and be the best.”

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