NHL nixes Blue Jackets' deal with Grigorenko, contract to be filed July 1
The NHL's central registry department has rejected the Columbus Blue Jackets' signing of Mikhail Grigorenko because of a misunderstanding regarding the filing window, the team confirmed Monday night.
However, the club has been in contact with Grigorenko's agent, Dan Milstein, and the NHL, and the contract will be filed on July 1.
The pact reportedly went against section 50.8 of the league's CBA, according to TVA's Renaud Lavoie. That section states:
"No club or player may enter into a (standard player contract) that does not cover at least the then-current league year. The foregoing does not apply to an SPC entered into pursuant to Section 50.5(f) above, or to unsigned draft choices or draft-related unrestricted free agents, who shall be permitted to sign an SPC during the period from March 1 through June 1 immediately preceding the league year in which such SPC is to take effect."
The Blue Jackets inked Grigorenko - a former NHL forward who's spent the last three seasons in the KHL - to a one-year deal for the 2020-21 campaign Monday morning.
The NHL paused the 2019-20 season on March 12 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.