The Columbus Blue Jackets said the NHL voided Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko's one-year contract late Monday, citing "a misunderstanding with regards to the filing window."
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement Monday that the team has been in "contact with the league and Dan Milstein, Grigorenko's agent, and the contract will be filed on July 1."
Earlier Monday, the team announced Grigorenko's signing to a one-year contract for next season. A person with knowledge of the contract, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team does not release contract terms, told The Associated Press that it's worth $1.2 million.
Last week, the team locked up goalie Joonas Korpisalo for two more years, with a contract worth a reported $5.6 million.
"I think it's just business as usual for us," Kekalainen said during a Monday conference call with reporters while noting that the team is involved in discussions internally and with the NHL about if and how the current season will resume after the coronavirus pandemic threat wanes.
"We've talked to Grigorenko for two years, and now his contract's up, and he's done playing for the year," Kekalainen said. "It's business as usual. We're just not meeting at the office. We're doing it on FaceTime or Zoom on our computers, talking to each other by phone."
The 25-year-old Grigorenko had 22 goals and 42 assists in 217 career games with the Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres from 2012 to 2017. He was the 12th overall pick by Buffalo in 2012 and can play all three forward positions.
The native of Khabarovsk, Russia, has spent the past three seasons with CSKA in the Kontinental Hockey League, with 46 goals and 70 assists in 147 games from 2017 to 2020. Kekalainen said he has noted improvement in the player since he was in the NHL.
The two-year contract for Korpisalo will give the 25-year-old a chance to establish himself as the team's starter. Rookie backup Elvis Merzlikins also proved that he is worthy of a starting job. The team likely will try to re-sign Merzlikins, and conventional wisdom is that one of them will eventually be trade bait as Columbus seeks more offensive help for next season.
Korpisalo said he wants to be the guy.
"I've been working for many years, and I've got a good chance to make it," he said Monday. "I think I've said I played OK. I always knew I had it in myself, and now signing a two-year contract, I'm really honored, and it's really a place I want to be. Just happy to stay in Columbus and try to make the best of myself."
Korpisalo, who is at home in Finland, said he thinks it will take "a couple weeks" just to get players back together and start training again if the league comes up with a plan to finish the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.