Ottawa Senators Under the Most Pressure to Perform in 2014/15

Apr 13, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Colin Greening (14) skates with the puck against pressure from Pittsburgh Penguins right wing

(27) during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Senators won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Colin Greening:

When the poster boy for your teams “bad contract” is only being paid $2.65 Million per year over the next three years, its clear to see that Ottawa does not hand out poor contracts often.

When Greening signed his deal last summer, Sens management figured they were buying a couple UFA years from the 27-year-old winger (at the time). Greening was coming off of two solid seasons including one which saw him score nearly 20 goals and another that included a solid playoff performance, scoring a very memorable goal against Pittsburgh.

The Senators saw a 6 foot 3 “power forward” type with the ability to score. He had played on a line with Jason Spezza in the past, but most thought Greening was not cut out for a top 6 role, but more of a solid top 9 forward. That being said, Bryan Murray showed faith in Greening by offering him a 3-year deal with an AAV of 2.65 million.

If Greening had played up to his expectations, Ottawa would be loving his cap hit and term right now. Assuming that expectation is a big top 9 forward who can score around 15 goals and 35 points consistently, 2.65 Million is a very fair cap hit for that style of player.

Then came last season, Greening’s game fell off the rails. After putting up dismal numbers with a Plus/Minus of -15 and a dreary point total with 6 goals and 17 points, expectations for Greening’s game are at an all time low.

It is not a sure thing as to whether or not Greening’s game could pick up this year, but in the event it does a solid season of around 15 goals and 30+ points would be ideal for the Senators and Greening.