Jordan Greenway joined the Buffalo Sabres in a trade last season and he seemed, at best, okay. But it doesn’t mean he can’t break through in 2023-24.
Jordan Greenway achieved a career-low 11 points in 62 contests with the Minnesota Wild and the Buffalo Sabres last season among years that he played in at least 56 contests. But with so many scorers with the Blue and Gold, even without Jack Quinn being there, Greenway doesn’t need to be finding the back of the net or even logging assists.
He only needs to be a catalyst in helping the Sabres get the puck back into the offensive zone. And it’s something he can do quite well on the lower lines. The 6’6, 231 lb Greenway is a physical player, having amassed 28 hits in the 17 games he played with Buffalo, so doing the math, that’s 1.64 hits per game, and roughly 134 throughout an 82-game stretch.
During his time with the Wild, he finished 79 checks in 45 outings, good for 1.79 per contest, and nearly 147 in 82 games. This gives the Sabres someone who can use his body to separate opponents from the puck. But it wouldn’t be a bold prediction piece if we’re talking mainly about Greenway’s strong suit.
Jordan Greenway can be a catalyst to create chances for Buffalo Sabres
Last season, Greenway did well in puck recoveries and he was also effective in transition. And this is where we can get bold with one of the newer members of the team. While I don’t see Greenway scoring many points this season, it doesn’t mean he won’t be creating sequences.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Greenway creates a lot of them, and dominates the Sabres in that category among the lower lines if we are to go by the sample we saw from him last season. When Greenway simply creates opportunities for others, then he will be regarded as one of the better players on this team in that specific niche.
Overall, you won’t see incredibly flashy play from Greenway. But don’t make the mistake of confusing that with lack of production. Watch him closely next season and pay close attention to his analytics – his productivity may surprise you.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)