Ryan Greene continues to adapt well in different roles with Blackhawks

Last season, the Chicago Blackhawks relied a lot on Ryan Greene. The rookie worked his way into a full-time spot in the lineup, and he became a staple on Connor Bedard's line and on special teams.

And based on what was shown during the preseason, he continues to perform well throughout the lineup.

What Greene focused on over the summer

During the Blackhawks' training camp, "comfortable" has been a key word. As defenseman Alex Vlasic said about the defense, as the players have more experience coming into this season, they are looking more comfortable.

That also applies to the forward group. As Greene is entering his second season, he is another one who is feeling stronger heading into this season: "Yeah, I would say definitely you're a little more comfortable. I think last year, obviously, getting to play a lot of games helped me adjust a little more to kind of my role and what I need to do to be at my best. So I think coming into this year, I feel a lot better. Obviously, I was able to kind of focus on the things that maybe I need to do better going into the summertime, and yeah, (I) feel good going into this year."

Last season, Greene had 29 points in 81 games, and he has said before that he needs to be a 200-foot player for the Blackhawks. He is a solid two-way player. He is good with his stick, which gives him the ability to break up plays.

The 200-foot game is notable for him, but it also wasn't the sole focus of his summer training. "Not necessarily. Like, I just think that's kind of how I always play the game is 200-foot, and that's the way my mind is trained; to be responsible on both sides of the puck. But yeah, I think this summer, the main thing was just getting stronger, which would allow me to win more puck battles, (be) better on faceoffs, those kinds of things. And then obviously, trying to improve some of my offensive things as well, like trying to score more on the chances when I get them."

Building on what Greene said about offense, he went through some cold streaks last season but ended the season with a goal in three straight games. In three preseason games, he generated two big scoring chances. As the popular sentiment goes in hockey, the more scoring chances you get, the more likely you are to break through at some point.

How Greene is able to adjust in different spots

Furthermore, Greene adapted well to any role the Blackhawks gave him last season, whether at center or wing, top-six or bottom-six. During the preseason, he has been playing fourth-line center with Cole Smith and Jordan Greenway. In their preseason debut on Sept. 21 against the Minnesota Wild, Greene had an assist, was a plus-1, and had a 50% faceoff percentage.

He has also played second-line wing with different linemates. With the training camp rules limiting players with 100 NHL games to two preseason games, and with Greenway dealing with a lower-body injury, they couldn't stick with that fourth line in their last two preseason games.

But it shows the trust head coach Jeff Blashill has in him when he needs him in different spots.

I asked Greene how he has been able to adapt so well to playing with different players: "I feel like players that I play with kind of know what they're gonna get. Just someone that's going to do a job the right way and is responsible. And you know, obviously, if you're playing fourth line, you're expected to play a different type of game versus if you're playing on the second line. So I think that's something that I've been able to adjust to pretty well is just knowing what type of game I need to play depending on where I am in the lineup. So, it's something I feel comfortable doing, and yeah, it's been good."

When the Blackhawks open the season against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 29, expect Greene to be on that fourth line with Greenway and Smith, as Blashill mentioned he likely would have stuck with that line if Greenway had been able to play in the final preseason game against the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 26 to help them build chemistry. They expect Greenway to be available against Vegas.

Overall, Greene's versatility in the lineup was always going to be significant for him going into this season, including on special teams.

And the preseason showed the 22 year old should continue to handle the responsibility well.

As Blashill said about Greene's camp on Sept. 26, "Greene has done a good job. Greener's a good hockey player. I think he's had a good camp. I think it's been really hard for guys to really stand out in the camp so far. So we'll just keep making evaluations, but I think he's done a good job."

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