Prospect Info: Grigori Denisenko (2018, #15 overall), Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL), signed ELC 5/5/20

[Brokin]

Ah yes, those four playoff games where he played 6:07, 2:02 (yikes), 8:13 and 9:40.

There's small sample size and then this.

Yup, a quick stop for a cup of coffee. Hardly a measuring stick but certainly a reality check that any move into meaningful playing time will have to be earned. When drafted I said he needed some tuff luv from his KHL coach this season in lieu of coming to NA to play juniors where be could be coddled.

Drafting at #15, he is still a boom or bust project. Tallon historically will not hand out an ELC to guys so they can start getting their $90K signing bonus' for the next 3 years unless he feels they are close to challenging for a slot in the AHL or NHL. It's the right move, but Tallon has to be careful he doesn't alienate the kid by withholding the ELC too long.

 

[SoupyFIN]

Yup, a quick stop for a cup of coffee. Hardly a measuring stick but certainly a reality check that any move into meaningful playing time will have to be earned. When drafted I said he needed some tuff luv from his KHL coach this season in lieu of coming to NA to play juniors where be could be coddled.

Drafting at #15, he is still a boom or bust project. Tallon historically will not hand out an ELC to guys so they can start getting their $90K signing bonus' for the next 3 years unless he feels they are close to challenging for a slot in the AHL or NHL. It's the right move, but Tallon has to be careful he doesn't alienate the kid by withholding the ELC too long.

The good thing about the KHL is, that a player's NHL rights aren't time limited. Panthers own Denisenko's NHL rights literally forever.

Players signed to an NHL contract playing on loan in the KHL is also very rare. Denisenko more than likely won't be signed until he's prepared to play in NA, whether it's the AHL or NHL.

 

[Brokin]

The good thing about the KHL is, that a player's NHL rights aren't time limited. Panthers own Denisenko's NHL rights literally forever.

Players signed to an NHL contract playing on loan in the KHL is also very rare. Denisenko more than likely won't be signed until he's prepared to play in NA, whether it's the AHL or NHL.

That's good to know. The Cats should have a feel in 2 years whether he's good enough to come over and compete for an NHL slot. What will weigh heavy on his mind is a lucrative contract extension offer from the KHL as opposed to coming over and being a RFA with a 2 way contract for 3 years. More money to be made for those 3 years in Russia. I guess it will all depend on how much better he gets and how strong his NHL dream is.

 

[Jakeybonz]

That's good to know. The Cats should have a feel in 2 years whether he's good enough to come over and compete for an NHL slot. What will weigh heavy on his mind is a lucrative contract extension offer from the KHL as opposed to coming over and being a RFA with a 2 way contract for 3 years. More money to be made for those 3 years in Russia. I guess it will all depend on how much better he gets and how strong his NHL dream is.

it will really just depend how good he is. if he thinks he's good enough to have a real role on the panthers and get paid real money, he'll come. if he doesn't he wont. but that would be no real loss anyway. he doesn't strike me as a gusev type. if he turns out awesome, expect him here in a couple yrs. expect every girl down here to think he's hispanic

 

[Brokin]

it will really just depend how good he is. if he thinks he's good enough to have a real role on the panthers and get paid real money, he'll come. if he doesn't he wont. but that would be no real loss anyway. he doesn't strike me as a gusev type. if he turns out awesome, expect him here in a couple yrs. expect every girl down here to think he's hispanic

My guess is this year will be a roller coaster ride for him as he tries to adjust. The following year he should be bigger and better as he will know what to expect prior to going into camp. Hoffman and Dadonov's contracts will be up for renewal at that time and both will be close to 31. If the Cats are smart they won't offer either of them anything long term (2 to 3 years at the most providing they haven't fallen off a cliff by then). Both may look for a better deal in UFA and Grigori (if the stars line up) should be able to challenge for one of those 2 slots. It all depends on his maturity and work ethic as he has the tools to be as good as he wants.

Yeah, Denisenko will be a real heartbreaker for the ladies. Watching that clip of Mamin dancing with the sunglasses was funny. The two of them could end up like that old Saturday Night Live skit with Martin/Aykroyd - Two Wild an Crazy Russians.

 

[Jakeybonz]

My guess is this year will be a roller coaster ride for him as he tries to adjust. The following year he should be bigger and better as he will know what to expect prior to going into camp. Hoffman and Dadonov's contracts will be up for renewal at that time and both will be close to 31. If the Cats are smart they won't offer either of them anything long term (2 to 3 years at the most providing they haven't fallen off a cliff by then). Both may look for a better deal in UFA and Grigori (if the stars line up) should be able to challenge for one of those 2 slots. It all depends on his maturity and work ethic as he has the tools to be as good as he wants.

Yeah, Denisenko will be a real heartbreaker for the ladies. Watching that clip of Mamin dancing with the sunglasses was funny. The two of them could end up like that old Saturday Night Live skit with Martin/Aykroyd - Two Wild an Crazy Russians.

the only thing with him is he makes weirdly obvious plays. i wonder if hes a dumb player. thatd suck cause he definitey has the skill to become something special.

 

[Brokin]

the only thing with him is he makes weirdly obvious plays. i wonder if hes a dumb player. thatd suck cause he definitey has the skill to become something special.

Nah, the kid looked very slick with the puck at the 5 Nations and before that at the Junior A Challenge. He was a standout in both tournaments. He's fast but it's his quickness getting to loose pucks that I like + he can distribute much better than Tippett. If he has a fault at 18 it's the fact that he doesn't shoot as much as he should. He will need to work on his snap shot and one timer to round out his offensive game. Kid has the makings of a stud if everything falls into place.

 

[Jakeybonz]

Nah, the kid looked very slick with the puck at the 5 Nations and before that at the Junior A Challenge. He was a standout in both tournaments. He's fast but it's his quickness getting to loose pucks that I like + he can distribute much better than Tippett. If he has a fault at 18 it's the fact that he doesn't shoot as much as he should. He will need to work on his snap shot and one timer to round out his offensive game. Kid has the makings of a stud if everything falls into place.

well he doesn't have a great shot which is why I assume he passes a lot. but I don't know, it seems like from everything I've seen of him he's not that bright. and when he does shoot, its at dumb times and right into the goalies chest with no angle. what I like about him the most is his skating stride. it looks.....correct. kinda the way ekblads looks incorrect and awkward. when grig gets the puck and busts out of the zone it looks so elite. [mod]

 

[Brokin]

well he doesn't have a great shot which is why I assume he passes a lot. but I don't know, it seems like from everything I've seen of him he's not that bright. and when he does shoot, its at dumb times and right into the goalies chest with no angle. what I like about him the most is his skating stride. it looks.....correct. kinda the way ekblads looks incorrect and awkward. when grig gets the puck and busts out of the zone it looks so elite. [mod]

I actually think he has a pretty good shot. He just needs to fine tune it with some additional velocity/accuracy. If you look at his two goals in the highlights of the 5 nations, the first was a one timer from the high slot that he blew past the goalie. The second was a penalty snap shot that easily beat the goalie on the glove side. Because of his speed and puck handling abilities, he tends to score most of his goals in tight as he is very comfortable with an assortment of moves to fake the D and goaltender. The problem with that is in the pros your tendencies are scouted and defenders will sit back and protect the goalie. If he's able to get his perimeter shots in the back of the net consistently, it will force defenders to come out and challenge him which is optimal for any goal scorer.

 

[Jakeybonz]

I actually think he has a pretty good shot. He just needs to fine tune it with some additional velocity/accuracy. If you look at his two goals in the highlights of the 5 nations, the first was a one timer from the high slot that he blew past the goalie. The second was a penalty snap shot that easily beat the goalie on the glove side. Because of his speed and puck handling abilities, he tends to score most of his goals in tight as he is very comfortable with an assortment of moves to fake the D and goaltender. The problem with that is in the pros your tendencies are scouted and defenders will sit back and protect the goalie. If he's able to get his perimeter shots in the back of the net consistently, it will force defenders to come out and challenge him which is optimal for any goal scorer.

that's a pretty big if. either wsy he was the obvious choice at 15. if we were picking 10th I'd have gone with one of the isles picks but at 15 both u and I wanted him the most. that said, its still a #15 pick and he's no dream pick for me. this was an amazingly deep draft and I really wish we had the #10 pick we did last year. things never seem to fall the right way for this team in drafts. we miss #1 and colorado gets mackinnon. then we get #1 and its ekblad with mcdavid coming up the very next year. not to mention guddy coming in at 3 after amazing #1,2 picks. lame.

 

[Brokin]

There's always some pretty big if's outside the top 5 Look at Dal Colle and Virtanen drafted 5 & 6 in 2014. Both have fallen off a cliff. My biggest worry with Denisenko is he gets too comfortable in the KHL and loses interest in playing in the NHL. He could also stagnate in his development in Russia and never take it to the next level. If those two concerns never come to fruition then I think he's a shoe in for our top 6 in two or three years. Very few guys drafted out of the top 3 can just make the jump to the NHL without marinating for a few years in juniors, NCAA, or playing in Europe. We haven't had the best of luck with some of our picks but that's on Tallon/Luce plus when the best and deepest draft in years comes along we post that "lucky" 103 pts instead of tanking for a high percentage shot at a top 3 lottery pick. I still won't complain too much as Borgstrom would be a top 10 pick on any do over.

 

[FinlandPanther]

well he doesn't have a great shot which is why I assume he passes a lot. but I don't know, it seems like from everything I've seen of him he's not that bright. and when he does shoot, its at dumb times and right into the goalies chest with no angle. what I like about him the most is his skating stride. it looks.....correct. kinda the way ekblads looks incorrect and awkward. when grig gets the puck and busts out of the zone it looks so elite. [mod]

His shot is pretty damn good.

 

[FinlandPanther]

Denisenko has played 2 games in the KHL with 0 points and 1 game in the MHL with 0 points. Kid needs to produce, he has the skills.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

Denisenko has played 2 games in the KHL with 0 points and 1 game in the MHL with 0 points. Kid needs to produce, he has the skills.

Hopefully choosing the KHL/MHL route wasn't a mistake.
It's just three games but his major red flag at draft was that his production stagnated last year. He needs to start putting up points and soon.
He has plenty of time to put it together. Still wonder if we should have taken Ty Smith or traded down for one of the other D guys.

EDIT: And naturally about 18 hours later, this happens:

I like, now gimme more

 

[Android 16]

Playing at the highest level not named the AHL or NHL is the right move for this kid.

Until he produces there; he won't when the competition is better.

 

[jvr32]

Watching him tonight vs. Yekaterinburg in the KHL. It's two periods in and he's mostly been playing with Denis Alexeyev (#91) and Danil Yurtaikin (#50) on the 3rd line, and Ilyenko (#34) is occasionally playing in that line in place of Denisenko. No PP or PK minutes. 1st period he didn't do anything noticeable other than when he lost the puck when he fumbled it and almost created a chance to the opposition. In the second period he helped to create and keep offensive pressure, which lead to the third goal for his team, but really his line mates created that goal. Did not get an secondary assist but could've easily had. Later in that period his line was stuck in the D zone with a long change, Denisenko tried to get to the bench a little too early which worsened the situation. Last two shifts in that period Ilyenko played in place of him.

 

[jvr32]

Denisenko sat on the bench for the first 15 minutes in the third period, while his team mates blew a three goal lead. I noticed him only once in a shift when there was about 5 minutes remaining and the game was tied then. No minutes in OT. TOI 9:05 with 11 shifts.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

I kow nothing about this guy but his stats look horrible. Hasn't even produced in the MHL. I wonder what they see in him.

 

[Bure1096]

Might be a 4-5 year project. That's fine, we finally have depth for the first time.

 

[BabyBennettov]

I kow nothing about this guy but his stats look horrible. Hasn't even produced in the MHL. I wonder what they see in him.

A lot of scouts saw top-10, some even borderline top-5 offensive talent in this kid...

The numbers in MHL are underwhelming for sure, but don't be too hard on his KHL play... He is still a teenager playing on a stacked team in one of the best league in the world...

He sure needs to figure some things out !

 

[Brokin]

I'm glad he's back in the KHL and not the MHL. He only played one game in the Hlinka tournament last year. Why, who knows. My guess is he doesn't like playing bottom 6 and will pout and give it half an effort if he's not playing top 6. I said earlier I expect a roller coaster ride for him this year. The KHL coach is not going to put up with an attitude problem and will sit him. The 3rd line guys he's playing with are very skilled and certainly he should be able to produce on that line if he drops the attitude and makes an effort to find chemistry

At some point he needs to realize he's blowing it and will wash out if he doesn't follow directions and play the system. If he doesn't care and wants to work a manual job the rest of his life instead of living like a king.............so be it. The sports world is full of guys who are pushing a broom who could have made something of themselves if they were coachable and put the work in. The guys got tremendous skill/speed/hockey sense but it's all meaningless if you think you are the smartest guy that walks in every room.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

I wish he was getting more icetime. Understandable since he's a teenager playing in the KHL, but still... seems like he gets maybe ten minutes each game. Hopefully as he adjusts to the league level his icetime will increase.

 

[vendetta]

He was always going to be a project but the talent and skill level is there. He is still very physically immature. Our system is in a great place where we can finally let guys like Tippett and Den mature and develops at their own pace and not have to worry about it. Before tallon tippet would be thrust into a top 6 role already and countted on to produce.he can develops in Europe for 2 more years and then see where he’s at. Absolutely nothing to worry about.

 

[Bure1096]

He was always going to be a project but the talent and skill level is there. He is still very physically immature. Our system is in a great place where we can finally let guys like Tippett and Den mature and develops at their own pace and not have to worry about it. Before tallon tippet would be thrust into a top 6 role already and countted on to produce.he can develops in Europe for 2 more years and then see where he’s at. Absolutely nothing to worry about.

Did we just become best-friends?

 

[GermanPanther]

He was always going to be a project but the talent and skill level is there. He is still very physically immature. Our system is in a great place where we can finally let guys like Tippett and Den mature and develops at their own pace and not have to worry about it. Before tallon tippet would be thrust into a top 6 role already and countted on to produce.he can develops in Europe for 2 more years and then see where he’s at. Absolutely nothing to worry about.

I hope we can go on in this Process where we can send good Prospect in Leagues like AHL or European Leagues for developing them into the Pro Level and what it takes.
And i really hope we can build a real good AHL, with a lot of hopeful Prospect. Hayes, Pirri was all good Prospect never had the Chance to get in the CHI NHL Team.