Jordan Greenway can bring missing elements to Blackhawks' bottom six

Sometimes, even if you aren't the "star" of a trade package, you can still end up having a big impact. That is what the Blackhawks are hoping for with the acquisition of forward Jordan Greenway. Even though he wasn't the focal point as part of the Bowen Byram trade, the Blackhawks still acquired him to make a difference.

Greenway is a bottom-six player, and general manager Kyle Davidson was looking to improve that aspect of the team.

Therefore, Greenway's 2026-27 storyline will revolve around the key elements he can bring there.

Greenway brought in to bring "change of dynamic"

With Greenway's career stats, his career-high in points is 32, and his career-high in goals is 12. Last season, he had six points in 40 games. The goal scoring might not jump off the page, but that is not where his strengths lie.

Davidson explained about acquiring Greenway, "One of the things that we felt we wanted to improve on as a group was a little bit of a change of dynamic in the bottom six of our group. I think Jordan brings a heaviness of physicality to our group that we could use. He can PK (penalty kill), which is helpful, and that utility is very useful for the coaches. So he's got that to his profile, but he's a really big body that can get in the forecheck and make life difficult for opposing defenders, and that's something that we wanted to improve, and think he certainly checks a box with. And so... it's another piece of the offseason that we wanted to accomplish, and so we certainly feel he provides some of, you know, a hole we wanted to fill there."

Our Greg Boysen already highlighted why Greenway should not be forgotten, detailing how he can help the Blackhawks on the penalty kill and, more importantly, noting that he has recovered from the injuries that have affected him the past two seasons.

So, instead, I am going to go a different route and let others explain Greenway's influence.

Greenway can contribute where it matters most

Last season, the Buffalo Sabres were the best story in the NHL, making the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. With Greenway, he was a factor in the playoffs.

He had a big game against the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he scored a goal to give the Sabres a 3-1 lead in Game 1.

Included in Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com's report on Greenway after the game, "I thought by far his best game,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “Great on the walls, really strong on the puck. His physicality was good. On the goal, great shot through the defenseman. I think the 10-foot range to the walls and the puck battles, I thought he was excellent.”

On the physicality side, his 82-game average in hits is 139. He had only 57 hits last year, but he also only played in 40 games with the aforementioned injury. The Blackhawks have been wanting to infuse more physicality into their roster, and he can help.

Then, the penalty kill. Jourdon LaBarber of NHL.com wrote an article in 2023 titled, "Greenway ranks among NHL's best in shorthanded situations."

The Blackhawks' penalty kill was a bright spot last season, ranking second in the NHL with an 83.6 percent success rate. After parting with two key pieces of their penalty kill in Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Dickinson, Greenway's expertise is valuable.

Overall, the 28 year old still has a lot to give. He will have the opportunity to help anchor the bottom six and special teams. He might not be the biggest goal scorer, but he has shown up in big moments. He reminds me a bit of Pat Maroon: if he helps the team in all the "identity" ways by providing his known intangibles that make them tougher to face, those would be key elements filled.

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