It’s no secret that when the Buffalo Sabres acquired Jordan Greenway for two draft picks, the move was endorsed by former head coach Don Granato. The former second-round selection by the Minnesota Wild had fallen off offensively and was seen as a reclamation project. Granato coached the 6’6″ forward to the second-highest point total of his career and entrenched him as a key shutdown player and penalty killer.
It’s a new era in Buffalo, however. Lindy Ruff has taken over, implementing a system focused on speed, effort, and angling. It requires players to forecheck heavily and apply ample pressure to the puck carrier. Clean zone exits are also a key focal point as they help generate speed through the neutral zone and force play up the ice.
The Sabres lines throughout training camp have remained mostly intact, with Greenway on the right wing next to newcomers Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker. McLeod is measurably one of the fastest players in the entire NHL, while Zucker’s motor is non-stop.
Greenway’s skating leaves him as sort of the outcast of the bunch. He’s well below average in nearly every skating category per NHL EDGE stats, leaving questions surrounding his fit. Why pair him with the fastest player on the team? Would he fit better on a different line? Will someone else look better in his spot?
Greenway’s Speed
Greenway’s max speed in 2023-2024 was 21.72 miles per hour. Considering the league average for forwards was 22.1, his foot speed should not be considered one of his strengths. Compare that to his centerman, McLeod, who topped out at 23.82 mph, and there can be cause for concern about his ability to keep up.
To put this in context, that’s about the same difference in foot speed between NFL wide receiver Tyreek Hill and defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
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Greenway’s other linemate, Zucker, registered a top speed slightly higher at 21.92 mph. Zucker also had 23 more bursts than Greenway of 20 mph or more. Being the slowest on a line is never ideal, but there’s more context to add to Greenway’s skating.
What’s interesting about Greenway is that he ranked in the 66th and 64th percentile, respectively, in 2022-2023 and 2021-2022 with top speeds of over 22.5 mph. His speed bursts over 20 mph also were well above average, ranking in the 57th percentile and 63rd percentile respectively.
Granato wanted the Sabres to slow things down and focus on the defense end more last season, so perhaps Greenway’s speed was a casualty of that.
Is Greenway on the Right Line?
The Sabres have plenty of fast forwards on the roster, including top-line winger JJ Peterka and the newly-formed fourth line of Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Should Ruff want to switch things up, one of those four could be a dangerous complement to McLeod on the third line.
Greenway’s offensive ability doesn’t necessarily call for a top-six role. He’s a physical, defensive forward though who was the key to Buffalo’s turnaround on the penalty kill last season.
On most NHL teams, those attributes scream “quality fourth liner”. The Sabres, however, have found instant chemistry with speedsters Malenstyn, Lafferty, and Aube-Kubel. Greenway’s speed would be a cause for concern with that group as well.
Third Line Profile
Focusing on what will be asked of the third line, it’s the spot that makes the most sense for him. They’ll presumably draw matchups against other teams’ top two lines. McLeod is a two-way center and Zucker is more offensive-minded. Greenway’s two-way play and defensive responsibility is a seamless fit.
Playmaking
McLeod and Zucker have fairly even shot-to-pass ratios, with Zucker leaning more toward shooting. Greenway brings a different element to the line, as he ranks in the 68th percentile of team shooting percentage when he’s on the ice. This indicates that he either directly or indirectly helps get the puck to dangerous areas in the offensive zone.
With Zucker, a former 30-goal scorer, in the mix, Greenway’s ability to make plays could help provide secondary scoring.
Play Driving
Greenway is not one to drive play up the ice, in general. Relatively, he’ll limit scoring chances against. He ranks in the 78th percentile in that department. He’s a detriment in the shots-for and shots-against department, however.
Luckily, both McLeod and Zucker are considered play-drivers. Zucker, specifically, drives offense and limits defensive zone time. McLeod uses his speed to pressure the puck and transition it to the offensive end.
Successful lines don’t require three line drivers, although it certainly doesn’t hurt. Greenway won’t be the one demanding the puck in transition and the offensive zone. Instead, he’ll focus on opening up space and feeding McLeod and Zucker.
The simplicity and definition of roles limit a line’s options in certain situations. On the other side, it can help a trio find chemistry and know where to go with the puck.
Physicality
With a two-way focus and playmaking, the other thing Greenway adds to the Sabres third line is physicality. He’s an aggressive forward who uses his size to initiate contact and clear things out for his teammates.
That is an element that neither McLeod nor Zucker have, suggesting that teams may be able to push them around without a third, physical forward. If it’s not Greenway, perhaps one of the fourth-liners is promoted to fulfill that requirement. Otherwise, the third line might not have the “hard to play against” label the rest of the squad looks to achieve.
Other Options
Two other forwards are banging down the door to get into the Sabres lineup. Peyton Krebs has been a bottom-six mainstay for Buffalo over the past two seasons. Jiri Kulich is the organization’s most NHL-ready prospect and can add immediate scoring to the lineup.
Peyton Krebs
Early in his career, Krebs bounced up and down the lineup as a winger and center. He finally settled into a role where he succeeded, as Buffalo’s fourth-line center. That spot now projects to be Sam Lafferty’s, making Krebs the team’s extra forward.
Monday, Krebs filled in as the right wing on the top line with JJ Peterka and Tage Thompson. He took advantage of the opportunity with a goal.
“The timing’s a lot different,” Krebs said after the game about playing on the wing. “As the game went along I got better with it.”
Krebs doesn’t shy away from contact, but he’s small and takes a hit more hits than he dishes out. Like Greenway, he’s not driving offense, rather, making sure things are cleaned up in the defensive zone.
His max speed last season was only 0.64 mph faster than Greenway, which puts him in a similar spot on the Sabres roster. Krebs’ east-west tendencies somewhat contradict the rest of the group and their playing style.
Jiri Kulich
After dominating the Prospects Challenge, Kulich entered training camp practicing with the Sabres main group. This created even more buzz about the 20-year-old forward’s chances of making the team out of camp.
He’s headed overseas with the NHL squad, but Kulich practiced on the team’s “fifth line” with Krebs and Lukas Rousek.
The dynamic trait Kulich possesses is his shot, which he uses specifically to one-time goals on the powerplay. When the Sabres first practiced the powerplay, he worked on Buffalo’s second unit with Dylan Cozens, Zach Benson, Bowen Byram, and Owen Power.
Since then, a mediocre showing in Buffalo’s first preseason game and limited opportunity to stand out in practice has cooled some of the Kulich buzz.
It’s tough to profile Kulich with only one NHL game under his belt, but the forward undoubtedly brings more offense to the Sabres lineup than Greenway. There would likely be a big drop-off in defensive play, however, which contradicts the expected deployment and purpose of the third line.
Summary
The causes for concern of Greenway fitting within the structure of the Sabres system are valid, but he’s the best option they have on the roster to play third-line right wing right now. McLeod has liked what he’s seen from the big forward so far.
“I think he protects the puck really well,” McLeod said Monday. “He kind of lets us buzz around…he opens things up nicely for us.”
Considering the line’s objectives and what Greenway provides, he’s not as out of place as you might think. The lack of point production isn’t too much of a concern at this point, as the Sabres scored seven and six goals, respectively, in their first two preseason games.
Should the Sabres struggle to find goal-scoring, Kulich is always an option. Until then, Greenway and his line will look to eat up heavy defensive responsibility and keep things fresh for Buffalo’s top scoring threats.
