'I'm happy to be in Buffalo' | Greenway talks contract extension, belief in Sabres' future

TAMPA – Jordan Greenway was his usual exuberant self as he took the ice for the Buffalo Sabres’ morning skate at Amalie Arena on Thursday, less than 24 hours after signing a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4 million.

Greenway’s on-ice demeanor – vocal and energetic, even through the mundanity of a gameday skate – never wavered as the trade deadline approached and his contract status remained in question. All along, he was committed to the Sabres and confident an extension would get done.

“It’s good to get it done,” he said. “I’m happy to be in Buffalo for another two years.”

Greenway, 28, has established himself as a versatile, respected veteran on an exceedingly young roster in the two years since the Sabres acquired him from the Minnesota Wild ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.

In those two years, he has transformed himself into one of the NHL’s most oft-used penalty killers (with an average shorthanded ice time that ranks second among league forwards), moved up and down the lineup, and even spent stints playing center.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff lauded Greenway’s versatility while speaking about the extension on Thursday, along with his two-way reliability.

“He skates well for a big man, defends well,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff sad. “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.”

Greenway’s importance to the lineup has been evident when he’s been out of the lineup. A middle-body injury that ultimately required surgery sidelined him for two separate stretches, costing him a total of 33 games.

His very first game back – an 8-2 win over the New York Rangers on Feb. 22 – Greenway helped created two first-period goals with his backchecking and offensive-zone puck possession. He finished that contest with a game-high six hits.

“He's a huge piece of this locker room,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said that night. “It's great having him back and he drives so much of our energy, he's so physical, so loud and he's always talking on the bench. It's really a huge piece back there for us."

The Sabres’ results have been inconsistent since the New York win – they followed that game with a comeback victory over Anaheim but have since gone 0-3-1. The winless stretch has them 13 points out of a playoff spot with just 23 games remaining.

“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,” Greenway said. “There’s nights where we do it really well and I truthfully think that 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. So, finding that consistency is obviously a big focus and something that we’ll continue to work towards and we’ll get it figured out.”

Greenway remains steadfast in his belief that the Sabres will get there.

“I just believe in what everyone’s trying to do here,” he said. “The guys, the city, everything about it. I’ve had a tremendous time here. I think we’ve got a good group here, a group that’s building toward our ultimate goal, and I want to be a part of it.”