Rumors continue to swirl about the future of Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, and it comes at a time when one of his most obvious mistakes — re-signing Jordan Greenway to a two-year, $8 million contract extension — is causing headaches.
Greenway, whose underwhelming production should have led to him hitting the free-agent market after last season, was never going to play up to a $4 million AAV. Adams' decision to not only bring him back but to give him a multi-year contract was mind-boggling.
The injury-prone winger was hurt to start the 2025-26 season, and he's been consistently one of the Sabres' worst players since his return to the lineup. He's tallied just three points (one goal and two assists) in 18 games and owns a minus-9 rating.
Making matters worse, Buffalo has attempted to boost his production by using an NBA-style approach of load management. So, the 28-year-old New York native is taking up a roster spot, only available for certain games and playing poorly when he does see the ice.
It's hard to imagine any other NHL teams would be interested in taking on the remainder of Greenway's contract, so the Sabres' options are keeping him in the depth role (while stealing a roster spot from a productive young player like Isak Rosen) or putting him on waivers.
Getting Greenway off the roster may be one of the first orders of business if leadership of the Blue and Gold's front office changes hands in the near future.
For now, let's check out the latest edition of our Sabres player grades series, which sees the 6-foot-6 forward at the bottom of the list for Sunday night's 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Tage Thompson, Alex Lyon lead the charge in the Buffalo Sabres' Dec. 14 victory against the Seattle Kraken
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Tage Thompson | 9 |
Alex Lyon | 8.5 |
Alex Tuch | 8 |
Peyton Krebs | 7.5 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 7.5 |
Josh Doan | 7 |
Noah Ostlund | 7 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 6.5 |
Josh Norris | 6 |
Owen Power | 5.5 |
Zach Benson | 5.5 |
Bowen Byram | 5 |
Jack Quinn | 5 |
Jacob Bryson | 4.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 4.5 |
Conor Timmins | 3 |
Beck Malenstyn | 2 |
Tyson Kozak | 1.5 |
Jordan Greenway | 1 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Tage Thompson
It took awhile for Thompson to find his game this season, but he's finally making the high-end game-to-game impact the Sabres need from him. His second-period goal against the Kraken marked the fourth straight game he lit the lamp.
When Tage and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who's also surged in recent weeks, are playing their best hockey, it takes a lot of pressure off everybody else. It's a major reason Buffalo has won three straight contests just when it looked like the club's season was over before Christmas.
For Thompson, the improved run of play also comes at a critical time as the dynamic, versatile forward tries to lock down a spot on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics. He's looking like a probable pick for the Americans after that opportunity started slipping away early in the campaign.
Not only will he be on the plane to Italy in February if he maintains this level of play, but the Sabres will have a real shot to begin climbing the Eastern Conference standings.
Sabres quick hits
- Another strong outing for Alex Lyon, who should remain Buffalo's starting goalie for the foreseeable future.
- To nobody's surprise, Noah Ostlund was highly effective in his first game back from AHL Rochester. His days with the Amerks should be over barring a sudden, sharp drop off in play.
- Promising to see Zach Benson with another goal. While it was an empty-netter, he made a nice play to create the chance to put the win on ice.
- Alex Tuch with another strong all-around performance.
- Josh Norris had an injury scare after assisting on Ostlund's goal as he crashed into the boards hard, but he finished the contest.
- The Sabres need the shake up the fourth line, even if Greenway ultimately stays on the roster.
- Buffalo (14-14-4), which wrapped up is six-game road trip with three straight wins, is off until Thursday night (7:30 p.m ET) when it hosts the Philadelphia Flyers (16-9-6) at the KeyBank Center.