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Top prospect Grigorenko is less top than he used to be

Mikhail Grigorenko

According to this National Post article, it should be extremely interesting to see where Russian prospect Mikhail Grigorenko goes in this summer’s draft.

Once in the discussion for first overall pick, Grigorenko has fallen in most draft rankings, and plummeted in others.

The negative opinion seems to stem from Grigorenko’s recent performance in the Quebec league playoffs, where the Remparts blew a 3-0 series lead to the Halifax Mooseheads in the second round. Grigorenko finished the post-season with three goals and 10 points in 11 games, but some expressed disappointment in his effort level. He had a goal and an assist and was minus-5 in the final four games of the series.

There’s also concern Grigorenko could thumb his nose at the NHL and return to Russia to play in the KHL.

Of course, players have slipped in the rankings before and turned out just fine. Last year, Sean Couturier fell to sixth. In 2010, Cam Fowler dropped to No. 12. Safe to say the Flyers and Ducks were glad they did.

Perhaps an unsuspecting team will luck into Grigorenko.

Unless he’s a bust, in which case he’s been drafted by Minnesota.