Avalanche's Grigorenko excited about reuniting with Patrick Roy

A change of scenery can do wonders.

Mikhail Grigorenko, traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Ryan O'Reilly deal, is excited about his new opportunity, and ecstatic about the idea of working with Patrick Roy, his former junior coach.

"I can’t wait for the opportunity to have him as a coach again. I had my best years in Quebec and it was great having Patrick as a coach," Grigorenko told Mike Chambers of The Denver Post. "He was great to me and taught me a lot of things on and off the ice. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me already, and I can’t wait to have him as a coach again."

Grigorenko, 21, never seemed to find a place with the Sabres, recording 14 points in 68 games. But Buffalo may have expected too much out of the Russian at such a young age.

Roy's experience with Grigorenko in their time together in the QMJHL should provide him with insight into where the youngster can improve, and hopefully he'll become another solid addition to a team that features a youthful core in Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Matt Duchene.