Sabres Expected To Activate Jordan Greenway
Sabres winger Jordan Greenway was a full participant in Monday’s practice and is a candidate to come off injured reserve before Tuesday’s game against the Islanders, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Greenway, 29, hasn’t played since Jan. 22 due to the effects of a lingering abdominal/mid-body injury. He has been dealing with recurring pain after undergoing two sports hernia surgeries in the last few years, but he told Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat last weekend that a new rehab regimen has left him with “zero pain” and that he’s resumed skating with no complications.
It’s evident that he’s been playing less than 100% for a good while now. He’s managed only 67 appearances since the beginning of 2024-25 and has a 4-9–13 scoring line and a -13 rating in that time.
Once a highly-regarded defensive winger in the Wild’s top nine, he’s never really had the impact the Sabres were hoping for when they traded a pair of draft picks to acquire him from Minnesota at the 2023 trade deadline. He did have a decent showing in his one full, relatively healthy season in Buffalo in 2023-24, notching 10 goals and 28 points in 67 games while averaging a career-high 17:15 per game, but the Sabres were likely still hoping for a bit more production given how much they were playing him.
Greenway is wrapping up the first year of a two-year, $8MM extension he signed just over a year ago – a puzzling decision from now-former GM Kevyn Adams in hindsight, considering the team was well-aware he was playing through a significant amount of pain. He’s expected to return to the lineup in a fourth-line role alongside Beck Malenstyn and trade-deadline pickup Sam Carrick, the most natural fit for him at this stage of his career and one he’s held almost exclusively when he has been in the lineup this season.
The 6’6″, 231-lb lefty’s return comes as they’re still projected to be without rookie Noah Ostlund, who’s missed the last two games with an upper-body issue and remains day-to-day. Zach Benson, who’d gotten some reps as 4LW with Carrick as of late, will continue to flex up into Ostlund’s third-line spot with Joshua Norris while Greenway gives Buffalo a far more physically imposing and defensive-minded archetype to slot into a checking role than Tanner Pearson and Tyson Kozak, who have slotted in the lineup with Ostlund out.
Atlantic Notes: Greenway, Bennett, Djurasevic
Sabres winger Jordan Greenway has resumed skating as he works his way back from an abdominal injury that has kept him out for the last 23 games, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. His latest rehab has been much more successful than previous ones over the past couple of seasons which has him optimistic that he can be much more of a contributor heading into the playoffs. When healthy this season, Greenway has been limited to just one goal and four assists in 33 games but when he’s at full strength, his track record demonstrates that he can be more of a two-way threat than just a penalty killer. It stands to reason that Buffalo will still be careful with him when he gets the green light from team doctors but Greenway could be a useful addition for the Sabres down the stretch.
More from the Atlantic:
- The ever-growing absence list in Florida just got longer. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters today including Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that center Sam Bennett won’t play tonight against the Islanders. He’s dealing with an undisclosed issue although Maurice added that it’s not concerning. Bennett has had a career year offensively, recording 25 goals and 29 assists in 70 games this season, with a career-best ATOI of 18:29 as well. His absence justifies the recent promotion of Jack Studnicka, who was recalled earlier today.
- The Maple Leafs have dipped into college free agency again. This time, their AHL affiliate announced that they’ve signed defenseman Frank Djurasevic to a two-year deal beginning next season. The blueliner will still join the Marlies now, just on a tryout agreement. Djurasevic had one year of eligibility remaining but instead will turn pro now. This season, the 24-year-old saw his production get cut in half at the University of Maine. In 2024-25, Djurasevic had 28 points in 37 games but he was limited to just 14 in 34 contests this season.
Sabres Announce Multiple IR Moves
The Buffalo Sabres have sorted out their injuries ahead of their return to action on Wednesday night. Forwards Joshua Norris and Joshua Dunne, as well as goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, have been activated from injured reserve and will be available for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. In a corresponding move, Buffalo has also placed wingers Zach Benson and Jordan Greenway on IR per NHL.com’s Heather Engel. Greenway has not played since January 22nd, while Benson missed Buffalo’s final game before break on February 5th.
Buffalo will exchange roster forwards with these moves. Norris has served a middle-six center role when healthy but has only appeared in 19 games this season as he battled through multiple injuries. His most recent was sustained on January 14th, in a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 26 year old has racked up 17 points in his appearances this season, the third-highest scoring pace on the team behind Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. He should return to an impact role on the second-line and should help the Sabres bridge the divide until Benson is able to return.
The 20-year-old Benson dealt with a couple of different ailments over the three-week Olympic break. His current injury has not been disclosed, though head coach Lindy Ruff did clarify that it is separate from the upper-body injury he sustained on February 2nd. Benson returned to skating earlier this week but hasn’t yet been folded into Buffalo’s practices, suggesting he could still have a bit before returning to NHL action. He will be eligible for activation as soon as he’s back to full health.
Buffalo will want their dynamo winger back as soon as possible. Benson has earned 26 points in 42 games this season – a 51-point scoring pace. On top of that, his best impacts have seemed to come away from the puck, where his mix of tenacity and skill allow Benson to fill any role on the forecheck. He has often been deployed on the second-line but has received upwards of 20 minutes of ice time a night when Buffalo needs a punch.
The biggest impact from these moves could be in net. Luukkonen went down with a lower-body injury on January 27th. The injury not only held him out of Buffalo’s subsequent five games, it also costed Luukkonen his spot on Team Finland’s Olympic roster.
Buffalo survived Luukkonen’s absence by leaning on Alex Lyon as their starter. He performed well, setting a .922 save percentage and two wins in four games in injury-relief, while rookie backup Colten Ellis recorded one overtime-loss. Luukkonen has split starts with Lyon for much of the year and recorded 11 wins and a .902 save percentage in 21 games. Those marks both fall just shy of the 14 wins and .912 save percentage that Lyon has reached in 27 games. The pair of goaltenders will continue to compete for starts, while Ellis likely remains with the NHL roster as an extra hand.
Buffalo’s series of moves is wrapped up by swapping two bruising depth-forwards off of IR. Greenway ranks seventh on the Sabres in hits-per-game, with an average of 7.18. Just above him, at sixth, is Dunne who has averaged 7.66 hits in what is his first chance at an extended NHL look. Greenway has beat out the first-year pro on the scorecard, netting five points and a minus-nine in 33 games, while Dunne has four points and a minus-four in 28 games. The two will exchange spots near the bottom of Buffalo’s lineup. The veteran Greenway would seem to have the edge on minutes when he’s back to full health.
Injury Updates: Maple Leafs, Greenway, Blues, Hedman, Ristolainen
The Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Dakota Joshua and defenseman Chris Tanev on LTIR, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). Joshua is dealing with a lacerated kidney that has kept him out for the last month and while he has started light skating, he’s not expected to return until after the Olympic break. Tanev, meanwhile, has missed the last month with a groin issue. There’s no timeline for his return but he has already missed the required 10 games and 24 days so if he returns – something that is in the air with him reportedly uncertain about surgery – so he’s eligible to be activated at any time.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Sabres winger Jordan Greenway has been limited this season after undergoing two sports hernia surgeries over the last 13 months. He doesn’t play in back-to-backs and practice time has been limited. Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald mentions that the veteran is expected to meet with doctors on Thursday to determine if what he’s dealing with in terms of discomfort is something that can be fixed or if it’s something he just has to keep playing through. If any sort of procedure is needed, now would be a good time with the three-week break coming up which would limit the amount of time Greenway would miss.
- The Blues announced (Twitter link) that wingers Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) are listed as day-to-day after undergoing further evaluations on their respective injuries. Head coach Jim Montgomery was unsure if either player would be available for Thursday’s game against Florida. Both Kyrou and Neighbours left Tuesday’s loss to Dallas but it appears it’s the best-case scenario for both of them.
- Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman took part in practice today for the first time since being sidelined with an elbow injury nearly seven weeks ago, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. The 35-year-old has missed 33 of the last 36 games and has a dozen assists in 18 games this season while averaging just over 21 minutes per game. Hedman has long been targeting a return that would allow him to play in the Olympics and it appears he’s on track to do so. Notably, head coach Jon Cooper didn’t rule out the possibility of the captain returning for Sunday’s Stadium Series game.
- The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen left tonight’s game against Columbus due to a lower-body injury. He played 1:01 over two shifts before exiting. The 31-year-old missed more than two months to start the season due to a triceps injury, then missed six more this month to an upper-body issue, one that he just returned from on Monday. Ristolainen has been limited to just three assists and 25 blocks in 15 games when he has been in the lineup. Notably, he’s set to play for Finland in the Olympics so if this injury is set to keep him out for more than a couple of weeks, that could cause him to miss the event.
East Notes: Volokhin, Guryev, Greenway
Montreal Canadiens goalie prospect Yevgeni Volokhin has signed a new three-year contract with his current club, Spartak Moscow of the KHL, covering this season and running through 2027-28. The 20-year-old was a 2023 fifth-round pick out of the MHL (Russia’s top junior hockey league) and has played pro hockey in each of the last two seasons. The 2023-24 MHL Goalie of the Year played in 28 KHL games during his age-19 season, posting a .901 save percentage despite playing behind a very poor team. He posted that save percentage alongside a 4-17-1 record.
Volokhin was traded to Spartak for monetary compensation in June, and has since been Moscow’s No. 3 goalie behind Dmitry Nikolayev and former Calgary Flame Artem Zagidulin. Volokhin saved 20 of 21 shots in his first KHL start of the season but struggled in his second. He has spent most of the season in the second-tier VHL, posting a .935 save percentage in 14 games. Due to this extension, the earliest the Canadiens will be able to sign Volokhin and get him to make his North American debut will be for the 2028-29 season. As Volokhin is a prospect under contract in Russia, the Canadiens will still hold the exclusive rights to sign him to an entry-level deal upon the expiry of his current contract with Spartak.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Philadelphia Flyers prospect Artem Guryev, who was acquired in the October trade involving Carl Grundstrom and the contract of Ryan Ellis, appears to have lost his spot with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 22-year-old was reassigned to the ECHL’s Reading Royals yesterday. Guryev began the season in Lehigh Valley but went scoreless through four games, prompting this reassignment. The 2021 fifth-round pick began his pro career in the AHL in 2023-24 but spent most of 2024-25 in the ECHL, so it’s possible he continues that trend in 2025-26. Guryev isn’t the only Flyers prospect in Reading: former University of Denver star scorer Massimo Rizzo, who scored 18 points in 46 games as an AHL rookie last season, has begun 2025-26 in North American pro hockey’s third-tier league.
- On Thursday, there were reports coming out of Buffalo that Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff was potentially set to test Jordan Greenway at the center position upon his return to the ice from an injury. It appears Ruff ultimately elected not to try Greenway, a career winger, in such an unfamiliar position, as he skated as a left winger in each of his two games played in 2025-26. The 6’6″ veteran forward has registered one assist in his two games back from injury, and it appears the choice was a good call from Ruff – Greenway’s play in his familiar left wing position has helped the Sabres collect three out of four possible points in the games he’s played in.
Sabres To Activate Jordan Greenway
The Sabres are activating forward Jordan Greenway from injured reserve as he makes his season debut tonight against the Bruins, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). Center Noah Ostlund is being returned to AHL Rochester in the corresponding move.
It’s now been more than a seven-month absence for Greenway. His 2024-25 season ended a few weeks early due to a lower-body injury, and he then had follow-up surgery on a previous core muscle injury over the offseason. He underwent that procedure in mid-July, causing him to miss training camp and now nearly the first month of 2025-26.
The 28-year-old will be making his return to the lineup in an unfamiliar position. He’s expected to center a line between Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn, Ruff said yesterday. While Greenway played a bit of center in his junior/college days, it’s not a position he’s logged any significant time at in the NHL. He’s never taken more than 100 faceoffs in a season and hasn’t played a single game down the middle for Buffalo since the Sabres acquired him from the Wild at the 2023 trade deadline.
Greenway is kicking off his ninth season in the league, but has been hampered by injuries for much of his career. He only ever cracked the 70-game mark during his rookie season despite playing a key checking role as a top-nine forward for both Minnesota and Buffalo, essentially from the jump. Last year was one to forget expeditiously for the 6’6″ forward. Multiple injuries limited him to only 34 appearances and his two-way effectiveness was reduced, only notching eight points with a -4 rating. He still managed 100 hits, his fourth straight year at or above the mark, despite the limited time.
Those injury concerns also didn’t stop the Sabres from giving Greenway some security. He inked a two-year, $8MM deal with trade protection back in March to keep him around through the 2026-27 campaign.
With Greenway and defenseman Michael Kesselring coming off IR in the past few days, the Sabres are the healthiest they’ve been all season. They don’t have any defensemen on injured reserve and their total IR count is down to three with Joshua Norris, Justin Danforth, and Tyson Kozak still on the list.
Meanwhile, Ostlund’s first recall of the season ends after 11 days. The 2022 first-round pick slotted into the lineup four times during his summons, but his usage wasn’t tangibly different from the limited minutes he got in an eight-game recall last season. He’s still looking for his first NHL point, although he did show marked improvement defensively. He managed an even rating and 51.4 xGF% at even strength compared to his -6 rating and 37.1 xGF% last year. He was off to a hot start in Rochester with a goal and four assists through four games and will look to pick that back up in the coming days.
Injury Notes: Gaudette, Greenway, Garland
San Jose Sharks winger Adam Gaudette suffered an upper-body injury in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, and today Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller reported that Gaudette is likely to miss at least a week of action. Since he was unable to play in the Sharks’ loss yesterday against the Los Angeles Kings, the timeline reported by Miller puts Gaudette in place to miss three or four games.
Gaudette, 29, is in his first season as a Shark after signing a two-year, $2MM AAV contract with the club this past summer. The 2017-18 Hobey Baker Award winner cashed in after a career year in 2024-25, one in which he scored 19 goals playing a full season of NHL action with the Ottawa Senators. Gaudette was a full-time AHLer for 2022-23 and 2023-24, but earned his way back to full-time NHL duty and appears to have a lineup spot solidly locked down in San Jose. Gaudette played third-line right wing on a line with rookie Michael Misa and 23-year-old Collin Graf on Sunday, and in Gaudette’s absence yesterday the Sharks put veteran Jeff Skinner in that role, one he’s likely to occupy for a handful more games at least.
Other injury notes from around the NHL:
- Buffalo Sabres forward Jordan Greenway is expected to return from injury and make his season debut tomorrow in Boston, and today Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that his return from injury might come alongside a significant change in deployment. As relayed by The Buffalo News’ Rachel Lenzi, Ruff indicated that Greenway may get a look at the center position. Greenway has recently practiced in the team’s third-line center spot, one previously occupied by Noah Ostlund. While Greenway has largely played the wing throughout his NHL career, it appears the Sabres will try to see if he can build some momentum and hit the ground running as a pivot playing between Jack Quinn and Jason Zucker.
- The Vancouver Canucks appear to have avoided the worst with an injury to winger Conor Garland, as CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported today that Garland’s injury is “not serious.” He did add that Garland “is not going” on the team’s upcoming three-game Central Division road trip. A loss of Garland for any timeframe is a major blow to the Canucks’ game-to-game competitive hopes: the 29-year-old leads the team with 11 points in 11 games this season and has been a reliable middle-six scorer throughout his time in Vancouver.
East Notes: Glendening, Senators, Sabres, George
While Luke Glendening didn’t land on the season-opening roster for the Devils, that shouldn’t be interpreted as him not having made the team. Per team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the veteran is expected to sign with the team before they depart on their season-opening road trip which begins Thursday in Carolina. New Jersey has set up their roster for an in-season LTIR placement which should come as soon as Tuesday, opening up the cap room at that time to sign Glendening. The 36-year-old had just seven points in 77 games with Tampa Bay last season but won 57% of his draws, making him a serviceable specialist on the fourth line.
Elsewhere in the East:
- While the Senators placed winger Drake Batherson and defenseman Tyler Kleven on injured reserve today, neither have been ruled out for Thursday’s season opener, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Their IR placements were back-dated to when they were injured in training camp, meaning they technically have already served the required seven days. Both players skated for about 45 minutes today but haven’t been cleared to return just yet.
- Sabres winger Zach Benson (undisclosed) and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (upper body) returned to practice today as they work their way back from their respective injuries. Neither has been ruled out of Thursday’s season opener. Meanwhile, winger Jordan Greenway (mid-body) and defenseman Owen Power (strain) skated on their own today. Unlike Benson and Samuelsson, they’re not on the active roster as they were among the long list of players that landed on injured reserve today. At this point, their availabilities for Thursday appear to be in question.
- Despite playing in 33 games with the Islanders last season, Isaiah George was sent to the minors today. Speaking with reporters (video link), GM Mathieu Darche indicated that the 21-year-old had a strong camp but the decision was made to prioritize playing time, something he’ll get a lot of with Bridgeport but wouldn’t have received in New York as the eighth defender on the depth chart.
Buffalo Sabres Injury Updates
With 10 days remaining until their opening game of the 2025-26 season, the Buffalo Sabres are dealing with injuries on multiple fronts of their roster. Earlier today, the Sabres provided updates on several injured players, including Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson, Jiri Kulich, Jordan Greenway, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Fortunately, aside from Samuelsson, it doesn’t appear that any player is expected to miss opening night, though there is some cause for concern. Byram, who the team shares is dealing with an undisclosed injury, is expected to practice with the team tomorrow. However, he’ll miss their preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Luukkonen, who is the de facto top netminder in Buffalo, has only recently returned to practice after suffering a lower-body injury toward the end of his offseason training. The Sabres expect Luukkonen to play in Buffalo’s contests on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and there’s no doubt in the organization that he’ll play opening night. It will be an important year for Luukkonen’s trajectory, as he followed up a promising 2023-24 campaign with a disappointing effort last season.
Kulich (undisclosed) and Greenway (middle body) are expected to return to practice either this week or next, though the latter has yet to practice with the team at all this preseason. Although Greenway, who signed a two-year, $8MM extension with the Sabres last season, may be healthy enough to play on opening night, Buffalo may wait a week or two to allow him time to ramp up after missing several weeks already.
Unfortunately, Samuelsson, who has dealt with injury concerns every season of his professional career, may not start the season on time due to an upper-body injury suffered last week. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said that Samuelsson is expected to miss multiple weeks, which would take his recovery timeline beyond Buffalo’s opening night contest on October 9th. The update is becoming a theme with Samuelsson, who played in a career-high 62 games last season. He has five years and $21.43MM remaining on his contract.
Sabres Notes: Luukkonen, Tuch, Greenway
The injury keeping Sabres starting netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen sidelined to start training camp is a lower-body issue, general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters yesterday, including Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. He won’t require surgery and “there’s no alarms right now, but there was a tweak where he didn’t feel great,” Adams said. He’s not on the ice today as the Sabres begin the on-ice portion of their camp. That absence is why the club brought in veteran Alexandar Georgiev on a one-year, $825K deal last week to give them added security in the event Luukkonen isn’t ready to go by the time the regular season starts. There’s still little clarity on whether that will be the case. Still, it’s up to their top goaltending prospect Devon Levi, who’s notably still waiver-exempt, to force his way above Georgiev and free agent signing Alex Lyon in camp and start the year with the big club while forcing one of the vets, likely Georgiev, to the waiver wire.
Other updates from Buffalo as training camp gets underway:
- Star winger Alex Tuch will be limited to start camp with an undisclosed injury, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. He’s only day-to-day, and his issue is “nothing significant,” Hamilton said. It remains to be seen if he’ll be cleared for their preseason opener on Monday against the Blue Jackets, a contest he likely wouldn’t play in anyway that early in the exhibition schedule. The pending unrestricted free agent’s availability for opening night of the regular season isn’t currently in doubt.
- The news isn’t as promising regarding winger Jordan Greenway. Hamilton relays that he sustained a setback in his recovery from the lower-body injury that ended his 2024-25 season in March, requiring a second surgery in mid-July. He’s still on the mend from that and isn’t expected to be available for any preseason games. His projected return timeline is “around” opening night, Hamilton said, so there’s a small possibility of an IR placement for him to begin the year.