Jordan Greenway Trade Feels Imminent
The Minnesota Wild’s rollercoaster January included seven wins, six losses and the scratching of multiple household names. When things were going poorly, Matt Dumba, Ryan Hartman and Jordan Greenway all spent time in the press box.
With the NHL trade deadline approaching, one of those names appears more likely to be moved than the other two. No, it isn’t Matt Dumba, who gets more and more untradeable by the game. At this point, it again looks like he could escape the trade monster.
Jordan Greenway Trade Imminent?
Insiders, like Michael Russo (The Athletic) aren’t sure the Wild will get an offer intriguing enough to move a top-4 defenseman that they still need in their lineup. Instead, it’s 26-year-old, Jordan Greenway, who Russo says is most likely to be dealt by the 2 PM CT, trade deadline on March 3.
Greenway is expendable because the Wild could re-sign pending restricted free agent Brandon Duhaime for probably half the price this offseason and stick him right to the left of Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno. At 25 years old and 6-foot-6, Greenway would probably be an intriguing name around the league despite his brutal season so far with the Wild. His production is nonexistent: two goals (one an empty-netter) and four assists in 29 games. Plus, he drew the ire of the club Jan. 8 when he overslept, missed pregame meetings and missed a game against St. Louis in the second half of a back-to-back. He put the lineup in an unacceptable bind and is now undoubtedly on the outs.
Michael Russo (The Athletic)
Bill Guerin hoped Greenway would take a step forward in 2022-23. Not only has that dream not come to pass but it’s turned to more of a nightmare. According to reports, Greenway’s healthy scratch in St. Louis earlier this month came after he missed multiple team meetings and showed up late on game night.
Production Fallout
And on the ice, his production has fallen off of a cliff, the opposite of the jump the Wild were hoping to see. His contract once looked like a bargain, but that $3 million per season that he makes is now more than what his play is worth.
Greenway’s point production has dropped into the 24th percentile, according to The Athletic, and he continues to get worse as the season progresses. He’s still a force on defense but that’s not enough to make up for his recent offensive deficiencies and how much of his defensive acumen can be attributed to playing on the same line as Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno?
No-Nonsense Bill Guerin
We know that Bill Guerin is a no-nonsense guy and it seems shocking he’d allow Jordan Greenway to stick around after antics that include missing meetings and being late to games. Especially when this locker room has a rising number of issues that continue to expose themselves publicly.
At 6’6″, 230 pounds and only (almost) 26 years old, Greenway should still have plenty of value on the open market and his contract is much more tradeable than, say, Matt Dumba’s. So if Guerin wants to pull the trigger on a trade that nets him that top-6 center his Wild so badly need, dangling Greenway feels like a perfect starting point.
Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan
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