What Is Colin Greening’s Value To The Ottawa Senators?
At some point this summer, the Ottawa Senators could possibly announce that Colin Greening‘s contract has been extended. He has 1 year left on his deal that currently pays him $915,000 (with a cap hit of $816,000), and rumors are that negotiations for an extension are underway. So, the question needs to be asked, what is his value to the Senators?
Mar 6, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Ottawa Senators left wing
Colin Greening(14) skates with the puck as Toronto Maple Leafs center
Leo Komarov(47) at the Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Senators 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Basically, Greening is a solid player who will get you between 35-40 points and can play on any line. He is probably best suited for a third line checking role with his size and speed, but for lack of a better option he has on occasion been forced into a more offensive role with mixed results. He has a lot of tools but can’t seem to put them all together in the same package. He will be 28 next year, so its not like he is a young player still looking for his prime. What you see is probably what you are going to get for the most part with Greening.
If you look at some comparable players from last season, you see the likes of Ryane Clowe (New Jersey Devils), Marcel Goc (Florida Panthers), David Moss (Phoenix Coyotes) and Nick Foligno (Columbus Blue Jackets).
Here is a graphic breaking down these players, ages and performance as well as salary.
| PLAYER | AGE | CAP HIT (M) | G | A | PTS |
| Nick Foligno | 25 | $3.08 | 6 | 13 | 19 |
| David Moss | 31 | $2.10 | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| Marcel Goc | 29 | $1.70 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| Ryane Clowe | 30 | $4.85 | 3 | 16 | 19 |
| Colin Greening | 27 | $0.815 | 8 | 11 | 19 |
I realize the Clowe comparison is a bit of a stretch because of the toughness he adds as well as the fact that he is coming off a sub-par season for what his usual standards are.
Players of Greening’s type are not irreplaceable, and as such they will not break the bank. However, they are useful players and definitely command more than double what Greening is currently getting paid. However, with extensions for Jason Spezza, Bobby Ryan and Milan Michalek coming in the next calendar year or two, combined with the fact that the Senators appear to be a budget team for the foreseeable future, makes me wonder if the Senators can afford to give Greening much more than the $1.25M that Erik Condra recently agreed to.
If Greening demands much more than $2M per year over a 3 or 4 year deal, then the Senators might just be tempted to make a trade and fill his spot with a younger, cheaper alternative. If he sees what his fellow Newfie Clowe got on the open market, you must wonder if Greening might opt to wait it out and go to UFA status next summer.