BUFFALO – Sabres forward Jordan Greenway battled his mid-body injury for nearly a year, enduring stops and starts and undergoing two surgeries to repair it.
Finally, Greenway, who has missed 57 of the Sabres’ last 75 games dating back to last season, is ready to go.
The Canton native is expected to play his first game since March 23 tonight in Boston against the Bruins.
Greenway, who usually plays the wing, practiced at center between Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn during Wednesday’s session in KeyBank Center.
“My conditioning will come back probably a little bit quicker, which is nice,” Greenway said of shifting to center, a position he has occasionally played with the Sabres. “There’s definitely positives to me going in and playing center right out of the gate. It’ll help me be moving more.”
The 6-foot-6, 231-pound Greenway gives the Sabres another gritty presence and penalty killer.
“We know what he brings, great skater, heavy on the puck,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “I think another guy that can be real strong on pucks down low, give us more O-zone time.
“So we get him back in, get him running. He’s had a lot of time off. I don’t think it’s going to be easy stepping in, but I think he’ll make an impact for us.”
The injury dogged Greenway, 28, throughout last season, limiting him to a career-low 34 games. After undergoing surgery in December, he returned Feb. 22 before exciting the lineup again.
He recently said he “couldn’t get over the hump” and had a second surgery in mid-July.
With Greenway back, rookie center Noah Ostlund practiced as an extra. The Sabres must activate Greenway from injured reserve.