Sabres’ Greenway Supplies Grit For Skilled Team

If there’s a battle to be won in the trenches, the 6-foot-6, 231-pound left wing is fully capable of bringing the extra energy necessary to help keep a play alive on the forecheck or find a rebound. A complementary player who creates space on the ice for his linemates, Greenway has put together a good career.

Greenway’s Early Success

On the Wild, Greenway found early success when he was featured on an effective line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno. The trio had good cohesiveness due to their combination of skating, size, and grit. It was on that line where the former Boston University product performed well.

If Eriksson Ek was the most skilled player on the line, both Greenway and Foligno brought the muscle. Their ability to win board battles made that line tough to deal with. They played a heavy style that made them successful on the forecheck.

Greenway twice scored double digits in goals while playing the rugged style he’s known for. A player who’s more than the sum of his parts, he has eclipsed 20 points four times – posting six goals with 26 assists for a career-best 32 points in 2020-21.

Following a good 2021-22 in which he had 10 goals and 17 assists with 69 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of plus-26, he fell out of favor last season. Injuries limited him to seven points in 45 games. With his role minimized, it was a matter of time before he was moved.

Greenway Traded to the Sabres

After spending nearly five years playing for the Wild, he was traded to the Sabres at the last NHL trade deadline on March 3, 2023. Buffalo acquired Greenway in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick (Riley Heidt) and a 2024 fifth-round pick. The move allowed him to play a similar role to the one he played in Minnesota. That has come in Western New York.

When he arrived, there was some excitement about what he could bring to the Sabres. They certainly needed the energy he provided. In a secondary role, Greenway scored four goals while adding 28 hits and 13 blocks in 17 games to conclude 2022-23.

The Sabres just missed making the playoffs, falling short by one point. That’s all that separated them from qualifying for their first postseason since 2010-11. Expectations are higher for this season.

To make the playoffs in 2023-24, the Sabres are looking to take that next big step. Playing in a competitive Atlantic Division, they must win their share of games against close rivals. If they can duplicate the success they had on Saturday, Nov. 4 by going into Toronto and defeating the Maple Leafs 6-4, it would go a long way to meeting expectations.

In a back-and-forth game that saw the Leafs keep coming back, the Sabres finally prevailed on a pair of goals from Alex Tuch in a wild third period where the teams combined for five goals. Greenway had an impact. Playing on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and J.J. Peterka, he scored a key goal that put the Sabres ahead 4-3 in the third period.

On the scoring play, it was a determined Greenway who kept the puck alive by getting it down to Mittelstadt. He then centered a pass for a Peterka shot that Leafs’ goalie Joseph Woll couldn’t control, which allowed a hustling Greenway to steer in the rebound for his second goal of the season.

For the game, he finished with a goal, five shots, six hits, two blocks, and a plus-three rating in 17:55. That’s the superlative effort he can provide. Greenway is noticeable due to his willingness to get the jersey dirty. Every team needs those high-character guys who do the little things well.

Greenway’s A Trusted Player

One of the interesting developments under Sabres coach Don Granato has been the amount of trust he has in Greenway. He’s been used as part of the Sabres’ improved penalty-killing unit that currently ranks fifth in the league. They have only allowed five power-play goals in 46 attempts (89.1 percent).

In Saturday’s victory over the Leafs, Greenway received 3:56 of ice time while shorthanded. That led all Buffalo forwards. The Leafs went 1-for-4 on the power play with their only goal coming in transition on a Matthews’ tally where he got behind the defense. Greenway wasn’t on for the goal against. So far, he leads all NHL forwards in shorthanded ice time (42:05).

“He knows the good ice – the middle of the rink – he doesn’t give it up. When he gives it up, it recovers it quickly knowingly. He forces players into bad situations and can do that because he’s a good athlete. Size and reach are a significant factor in that,” Granato told reporters in a story that appeared on NHL.com. “So, there are so many components to him that make him a good penalty killer.

Not only is he trusted by Granato to kill penalties, but Greenway was also used to protect a one-goal lead against a dangerous opponent. He was out along with Mittelstadt and Tuch, who got the empty netter that sealed the victory with 1:06 remaining. It’s no small feat to be out there late in a close game.

Well-Liked By Teammates

Greenway is certainly well-liked by his teammates. At the start of the season, he was playing on the third line with Mittelstadt and rookie Zach Benson. They found some early chemistry before a lower-body injury to Benson landed him on the injured reserve. The 2023 Sabres’ first-round pick had high praise for his linemate.

“He’s a great player on the ice. But off the ice he’s such a great guy,” Benson said of Greenway in a story that appeared in the City Of Buffalo on Oct. 14. “And he’s such an easy player to play with. [He’s a] big power forward. You know he’s got skills. So playing with him, it’s really easy, honestly. And off the ice, he’s just such a good, good guy. And he welcomes the young guys like myself in really good. And it makes our days a lot easier.”

Mittelstadt also likes the way Greenway plays and enjoys how he is away from the rink.

“I think just the way he plays kind of shows that obviously he’s a big body. He plays extremely physical. He goes to the natty blocks shots, he does a bit of it all. And I think, you know, a lot of those things fall under the team side,” Mittelstadt said.

“And I think away from the rink as well. He’s just a great guy. He’s always in a good mood. He’s always smiling, he’s always got a funny story. So I think that that’s huge. Keep the boys up in the locker room.”

Greenway is happy to contribute in any possible. “Any way that you can contribute definitely makes you feel good. But he’s she’s had a lot of trust in me for a while now. And that’s a really good thing for him to say. However, I can help these guys on the ice [or] off the ice. Whatever it is, I’m happy to do.”

Reason for Optimism

In the first dozen games for the Sabres this season, Greenway has gotten off to a good start. He has two goals and four assists for six points with a plus-four rating. He’s also added 19 hits and eight blocks while averaging 16:17 of ice time. If he continues to be used in an expanded role, it should pay off.

Given the amount of trust by Granato, he’s showing what he can do. A top-nine forward who’s being utilized well, Greenway has a chance to help the Sabres make good on their postseason aspirations. That’s a reason for optimism. Hopefully, it can lead to desired results.