Next up in the Minnesota Wild season report cards is someone most commonly known as “Big Rig” but his full name is Jordan Greenway. He had a rough season full of injuries and was out of the lineup four different times plus a fifth time due to COVID Protocol. He didn’t let those injuries stop him, as he fought back each time he was in the lineup and still had a decent season, just shy of career-highs in goals, assists, and points.
Greenway is known for what he brings to the game physically and the scoring is an added bonus. His hits are what bring the noise and energy to his team. He also fit in seamlessly with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno on the third line. That line was an important part of the team’s chemistry and helped them really flow throughout the season.
Greenway Trucks His Way Through
Greenway didn’t earn the nickname “Big Rig” because he’s small – he stands at 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds. His hits are like a semi-truck coming at you, hence “Big Rig”. It makes for a very entertaining game and can create a number of scoring opportunities. After the 20 games missed due to injury and illness, he played in a total of 62 regular-season games for the Wild. He scored 10 goals and assisted on 17 others for 27 points. He was just five points shy of his career-high 32 points from the season prior.
Greenway’s scoring started to take more priority over the last couple of seasons but on the flip side, his defensive game was almost better than his offensive for 2021-22. He had 31 blocked shots plus 14 takeaways, but the number everyone was interested in was his hits: 155. He placed third on the team right behind Brandon Duhaime and linemate Foligno.
While his scoring and hits were discussed, a stat that may have been forgotten was shots on goal. He had 110 and just missed out on being in the top-10 on the team by three shots. Greenway did get into the top-10 in a different area, though, as he had three game-winning goals during the season and tied for fifth place on the team.
Greenway’s Iffy Postseason
Along with nearly the whole team, Greenway’s playoff numbers were not something to be proud of. He played in all six of the Wild’s postseason games and had two points. He scored a goal and tallied an assist. Similar to his linemate Eriksson Ek, his two points came in the team’s two wins. His assist came on Eriksson Ek’s first goal in Game 2 and his own goal was the one that got things started in Game 3.
Related: Wild’s Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek & Greenway Step Up in Game 3 Victory
Greenway’s defensive stats took a slight hit in the postseason as well. He had three blocked shots and 12 hits, but on the bright side, he also had 7 takeaways. It’s too bad he couldn’t convert on those seven takeaways, as the Wild could’ve really used some extra goals. However, the biggest letdown was his number of hits. Obviously, physicality isn’t everything but in the playoffs, when timed right, it can really give a team an edge. It’s one of the reasons the St. Louis Blues were able to make it past the Wild in the first round.
The GREEF line was expected to be right behind the fourth line in hits and help change the game with their physicality. They had the most hits but seemed to lack energy at times. There were blips of good throughout but nothing spectacular. It was a real bummer for a line that did quite well during the season and was a big motivator.
Greenway’s Final Grade
Once again, there’s another player on the Wild roster whose grade was a little hard to determine. However, his issues were mainly due to injuries that weren’t his fault so, therefore, shouldn’t affect his overall grade. He just missed setting new career-highs due to those injuries but proved his resilience by coming back from each one, which earned him some extra points.
There was a lot of back and forth to decide on this grade but Greenway earned an A-, the same as Eriksson Ek. It was almost a B+ but with the persistence he showed in coming back from four different injuries, he earned some extra points. He also showed that he can score goals and deliver hits, something that could come in very handy next season. He showed he has a lot of potential and room to improve his game so that’s why it’s an A- and not an A just yet.
Greenway has a lot of room to grow and the Wild really need him next season. Luckily, they have him locked up for three more seasons after he re-signed with the team during the middle of this past season. He may have had small numbers in the postseason but over the last four seasons, he’s proved he can consistently get points in the playoffs, they just need to make it past the first round for him to really get going. It’ll be interesting to see how far they go next season.
