Since arriving in a trade two years ago, winger Jordan Greenway has given the Buffalo Sabres a physical element they sorely need.
When he’s injured – he has missed 49 games over the past two years, including 34 this season after undergoing surgery to repair a mid-body injury – his absence is noticeable.
While he has scored just three goals this season, the 6-foot-6, 231-pound Greenway is one of the Sabres’ most valuable forwards and penalty killers. They knew they couldn’t let him get away.
On Wednesday, the Sabres re-signed him to a two-year, $8 million contract extension.
Greenway, 28, is in the final season of a three-year, $9 million deal he signed with the Minnesota Wild. He could’ve become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
If the sides couldn’t come to terms, then perhaps the Sabres would’ve dealt the Canton native before Friday’s trade deadline.
The Sabres acquired Greenway from the Wild on March 3, 2023 in exchange for two draft picks.
He has compiled eight points, 80 hits, 19 penalty minutes and a minus-1 rating in 26 games this season. He returned from his mid-body injury Feb. 22 after missing 23 contests.
The Sabres, who play a road game Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, have also talked to veteran winger Jason Zucker about an extension. Zucker, 33, can become an unrestricted free agent following the season.