After just a single game during his most recent call up, Alexandre Grenier is headed back to the AHL. The 25-year old minor league forward played just six minutes on Saturday night for the Vancouver Canucks. Perhaps Nikolay Goldobin has recovered enough from the flu to rejoin the lineup tomorrow night against Dallas.
Grenier is an interesting case, as despite being drafted in the third round and excelling at the AHL level he’s only been given nine games in the NHL and more than 13 minutes in a single game just once. The big, playmaking winger was a late-bloomer even early in his career, not reaching the CHL until he was already 19. Perhaps he’ll follow a similar path to the NHL, making an impact in his late twenties.
For now though, he’ll return to the Comets where he has 40 points in 54 games this season and continue his minor league career. Utica is currently in a playoff race with both Toronto and St. John’s, and could use his help. The team has scored just eight goals in three games during his latest absence, and that includes a five goal effort on Sunday against the terrible Binghamton team. They will likely find a little more consistency with arguably their best offensive threat back in the lineup.