TAMPA, Fla. — It took until roughly 48 hours before the NHL trade deadline, but Jordan Greenway and the Buffalo Sabres were able to reach a contract extension. And despite it happening so close to the deadline, Greenway said Thursday he was always confident the two sides could come to an agreement.
“I was, truthfully,” Greenway said. “I wanted to stay here and I was pretty confident we could get it done.”
The final deal ended up being for two years and $4 million per season. Greenway ended up getting a salary that represents a $1 million raise, and both sides got some flexibility with a shorter-term deal. Greenway can hit free agency again at age 30 when the NHL salary cap is projected to be $18 million higher than it is right now. The Sabres get a shorter-term deal to keep their roster-building options open.
Greenway’s reasoning for signing was simple: “I just believe in what everyone is trying to do here,” he said after Buffalo’s morning skate. “The guys, the city, everything about it, I’ve had a tremendous time here. I think we have a good group here, a group that’s building toward our ultimate goal and I want to be a part of it.”
Greenway isn’t the flashiest player from a point production standpoint. His career high is 32 points. He’s also had some injury issues in his career. But in a short time, he earned the trust of Sabres coach Lindy Ruff because of how versatile he’s been and the physicality he plays with.
“Skates well for a big man, defends well,” Ruff said. “He’s a good man and he’s well respected in our room. You need those guys, you need veteran guys. He’s a good guy to follow when it comes to on-ice play and the way he plays the game.”
In December, Greenway had surgery to repair a mid-body injury, but when he’s been healthy, the Sabres have been a better team because of him. Buffalo has 52 percent of the expected goals when Greenway is on the ice at five-on-five. He’s second on the team in hits per 60 minutes of ice time. And he’s one of the few players on the team with legitimate playoff experience.
General manager Kevyn Adams has talked about the difficulty of attracting veteran players to Buffalo in free agency. To have Greenway willing to stick around is something the team had to take advantage of. Considering how poorly this season has gone for the last-place Sabres, it wasn’t a given that would be the case. Now Greenway is focused on being part of the solution, and he knows it starts with this team becoming more consistent.
“That’s probably the million-dollar question,” he said. “It’s a mindset, it’s a mindset from the start of the year into every single day. Elevating our expectations. Buying into our game plan every single night. There’s nights where we do it really well and I truthfully think we can compete with any team. Sometimes we find a way to stray away from that a little bit and we’ll see it on the scoreboard at the end of the game.”
Here’s what else we’re keeping an eye on with the trade deadline less than 24 hours away.
1. With Greenway signed, the other notable unrestricted free agent to watch is Jason Zucker. To this point, the Sabres haven’t been able to get a contract done, and Zucker has also been out of the lineup. He blocked a shot against the Rangers on Feb. 22, came back into that game and played the next game against the Ducks 48 hours later. But he hasn’t skated with the team since that day. On Thursday, Ruff said, “We’re trying a little bit of a different type of treatment to try to progress this thing and we’re hoping that will lead to him getting back on the ice. We’re all a little bit frustrated with how long a time it has taken.”
The closer the Sabres get to the deadline without Zucker signed, the more realistic a trade becomes. It’s been a seller’s market at the deadline, which could theoretically boost Zucker’s value. He has 18 goals and 44 points in 54 games and has already set a career high with nine power-play goals. He’s played in the playoffs, is a sturdy presence in front of the net and plays a reliable two-way game. That’s the exact type of player who is typically in demand this time of year. The Sabres would likely be able to get at least a second-round pick for Zucker, which is an asset that could be used to upgrade the roster. But that could depend on how the 33-year-old’s foot injury responds to treatment. It also could depend on Buffalo’s willingness to retain salary, something they haven’t done in a trade since 2021.
2. Re-signing Zucker also isn’t a no-brainer now that Greenway is under contract. He’s been a great addition for Buffalo this season, but at 33, the Sabres need to carefully consider the dollars and term. The season Zucker is having has increased value to the point where the best asset management might be to sell high. Having an experienced and productive player like Zucker is worth more than a draft pick, but the contract has to make sense.
3. Another point to consider with Zucker is that if the Sabres sign him, they will have nine forwards under contract next season with Ryan McLeod, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn as unsigned restricted free agents. That means if Zucker comes back, the Sabres will need to make a trade to change their forward group. That’s part of why names like Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch and even JJ Peterka popped up in trade rumors ahead of the deadline. Teams are trying to see where Adams might budge on the core that he’s built. Adams has said he wants to make trades that will help the team get better right now. That means he’s not interested in dumping players for draft picks but rather acquiring NHL players. Those trades are easier to execute in the offseason, but Adams did manage to swap Casey Mittelstadt for Bowen Byram this time last year.
4. Henri Jokiharju wasn’t on either special teams unit at the morning skate on Thursday. That’s a decent indication that he will be out of the lineup again for the Sabres against the Lightning. He’s been a healthy scratch for three straight games and seems like a strong bet to get traded between now and the deadline. He was frustrated with his role last season, and nothing has changed too much this season. Ruff has made him a healthy scratch on numerous different occasions even after he was playing with Rasmus Dahlin on the top pair early in the season. He’s a few months away from unrestricted free agency and hasn’t been a big part of Buffalo’s plan, so it’s time for Adams to recoup whatever value he can.
(Photo of Jason Zucker: Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)
