The Ottawa Senators have had a very disappointing year thus far. Incredible amounts of underperforming has seen a coach fired, after a general manager who was on the hot seat, was already let go. However, there have been a few bright spots for the Senators. Arguably the brightest of them all has been the emergence of Ridly Greig. While 16 points in 29 games doesn’t jump off the page, Greig is showing why he deserves to be a key player for the Ottawa Senators.
Ridly Greig Deserves More Icetime
Season Results
Entering into the season, Greig was thought of as an exciting depth piece. After showing signs of promise in both the NHL and AHL last year, many fans had high hopes for this season. Unfortunately, early in November, Greig saw himself on the injured reserve list. He had started the 2023-24 campaign off strong. Posting seven points in the first nine games, before getting hurt.
When Greig came back, he almost felt lost in the shuffle. It was early December and the team was drawing much-deserved criticism. He slotted back into his third-line role, which was a welcome sight. However, not one that many thought much of. Since that time, Greig has done nothing but show why he should be used as a top player for the team right now.
His raw point totals don’t show the full picture. However, Greig is defining every cliche the Senators are preaching right now. Hard to play against, resilient, and even good defensively. It is no surprise that he is looking at home up at the top of the lineup.
Injury Creates Opportunity
Joshua Norris was injured last Tuesday and has been out of the lineup since. This will be a big weekend coming up, as Norris nears a return, and Shane Pinto is eligible to return Sunday. While the Norris injury is unfortunate, it has given an opportunity to someone in Ridly Greig. He was immediately put on to the top line. While he has seen a mix of linemates, the one thing that has stayed consistent is how good Greig has looked.
Greig currently has two goals and four assists in his last five games while playing with some of Ottawa’s best players. However, he is not just being a pedestrian on the line, collecting secondary assists. Greig has continued to be his usual pesky self. Forechecking aggressively and using his body to create space for himself and his teammates. So it begs the question, when healthy, where does Ridly Greig fit in the Senators lineup?
Deserving of More
Up until this point, it would be pretty easy to suggest when healthy Greig should automatically fall back to his third-line role. And while that may still be the case, his play right now and all season is showing why he deserves to keep seeing his time on ice increase. Greig currently leads all Ottawa Senators forwards in xGF% with a 54% and is 4th among forwards in shot share with a 51%. Compare that to the overall team’s percentages of 48% and 49.5% respectively, and it becomes quickly obvious that Greig is one of the few forwards routinely making a difference for this team.
It’s not just offensively, either. One of the largest critiques of this Senators team is how poorly they play in their own end. And that applies to the forwards just as much as anyone else. Greig currently leads the Sens forwards with the fewest shot attempts and third-fewest scoring chances against per 60 minutes played (CA/60 and xGA/60). He has a 56.78 CA/60 and 2.47 xGA/60. For comparison, the Ottawa Senators currently sit at 61.79 and 2.79 respectively.
Greig has been one of the few forwards that have made a defensive impact in a positive direction this season. He is second among all Senators forwards in Even Strength Goals Above Replacement from EvolvingHockey. He is also one of the only Senators to have a positive impact in all five even-strength areas of EvolvingHockey’s RAPM charts.
While he is a far ways away from looking for Selke votes or anything of the like, Greig at a young age has already become one of the Senators better all-round players. For a team that has preached consistency and playing the right way, rewarding someone who is doing just that seems fitting.
Individual Play
We have looked at the underlying numbers being strong for Greig. But another thing to highlight is it is consistently him driving play. At times, if you are playing with skilled players it is possible to become more of a passenger. However, everything about Greig’s game suggests that is not the case. When looking at per 60 stats to help account for icetime, Greig ranks 1st among Sens forwards in primary assists per 60 and 5th in points per 60 at 5v5.
On top of that, he ranks 4th in Individual Expected GoalsFor. Not to mention, his isolated impact (from HockeyViz.com) is also among the strongest on the team.
The Ottawa Senators are routinely a better team with Greig on the ice, vs off of it. Yes, some of this can be attributed to playing lower in the lineup. However, his recent stretch of strong play at the top is showing why he should be trusted with more of a role. Regardless of who he is playing with, Greig is using his forechecking abilities and puck skills to create opportunities for himself, and his teammates.
Penalty Kill
Possibly the biggest area the Senators need to lean into Ridly Greig is on the penalty kill. This season, the Senators have been atrocious when down a man. They currently rank 31st in overall efficiency in the league, and routinely get burnt when taking penalties. However, among all Sens forwards, Greig currently ranks 2nd in CA/60 and 3rd in xGA/60 on the team. The lone player above him in both categories is Tim Stutzle.
The trend of using your most skilled players on the penalty kill has become all the more common in the NHL recently and Ottawa should start to lean into that as well. Stutzle’s ability to create chances out of nothing along with Greig’s forechecking as well as defensive presence makes for an intriguing duo.
Even if the Senators use Greig less at 5v5, the penalty kill is an area they should explore to get him more time on ice. Greig is a physical player who can pressure effectively in all three zones. That is the exact type of player you want killing penalties and disrupting power plays.
Growing Pains are Natural
There are some areas of Greig’s game that still clearly need work. One of which includes knowing how to tow the line of being an effective and frustrating player, vs taking a penalty at a bad time. Often times Greig still finds himself in the box more than he should, and usually for an avoidable penalty. However, this team has some serious decisions to make this offseason, and knowing what you have in Greig is important.
Giving him time now to show what he can do and how he can adapt to becoming a crucial part of this team may open up other opportunities in the offseason. Everything that Greig has done up until now has shown he is ready for more, and it is time the Sens gave him an extended look at that opportunity.
(All stats taken from NaturalStatTrick unless stated otherwise)
Main Image: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
