Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 63
We are inching closer, closer, and closer to the puck drop vs. the New York Rangers, with just 12 days remaining until Opening Night.
Just like in yesterday’s bold prediction, the urge to link things to numbers is taking center stage here, so we will be focusing on none other than #12, Jordan Greenway at the 12-to-go mark. Greenway has looked much more comfortable in the preseason this year than he did during his 17 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, so it’s time to expand on my previous prediction regarding the power forward.
Seven short weeks ago, I stated that Greenway would be responsible for creating numerous scoring opportunities for the Sabres. But after seeing him play in the preseason, it’s getting clearer that the 26-year-old will be responsible for scoring some assists and even a few goals, or to be more accurate, more than a few goals.
Greenway has never scored more than 32 points in a season, and this year, he’s going above that mark, snagging a career-high in goals and in assists. This isn’t to say he will score something like 59 points in the way Casey Mittelstadt did, but Greenway will put up roughly 40 to 45 in 2023-24 when his consistency carries itself through the regular season.
Buffalo Sabres power forward will snag career-highs in goals, assists
With between a boldly projected 40 and 45 points, Greenway’s goals-to-assists split could look something like 13 and 27, which will snag him career-highs in both categories. He can also go further if he hits the 45-point mark, with something along the lines of 15 and 30, setting the stage for what could be a breakout season in 2024-25.
Overall, Greenway has shown enough in the preseason, albeit a small sample size, to at least set a career-high in points. But he will go beyond just the 33-point margin and dip into the 40 to 45-point range. Since the Buffalo Sabres already have their scorers, it makes little sense to project he goes higher – even from a bold prediction angle. But he will nonetheless show vast improvement, and it will reflect in his points total.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)