Ottawa Senators Report Cards: Ridly Greig

Reader Grade: B+; Staff Grade: B+

greig's development is so fascinating to me because he's still a criminal but now he does like white collar crime

— mathieu joseph propaganda wing (@JackBaines37) December 10, 2023

In his first full season in the NHL, Ridly Greig did just about everything that could have been expected of him, establishing himself as a reliable middle-six forward.

Pinto’s 41 game suspension gave Greig an opportunity to play a bit higher in the lineup than he might otherwise have. He ended up with 13 goals and 13 assists in his 72 games. Among rookies, that puts him 15th in the league in total points, and 10th in goals.

His underlying numbers were also pretty middle-of-the-pack. With him on the ice, the Sens gave up more expected goals, scoring chances and high danger chances than they got, but that can be said of most Sens players.

Although he spent most of his time on the third line, he proved to be a versatile player, looking perfectly comfortable whenever he was placed higher in the lineup. You need those types of players during playoff runs. One thing to note is that his most consistent linemate by far was Vladimir Tarasenko, who was of course traded at the deadline, so I guess next season will show us how much he was relying on his linemate.

Of course, I cannot sum up Ridly Greig’s 2023-24 season without discussing his greatest contribution to The Culture. Let’s revisit the biggest highlight of his young career.

Phenomenal work on his part. The reaction this provoked from the Leafs and their fans was the stuff of legend. This is exactly the kind of energy we wanted Ridly Greig to bring to the NHL when he was drafted.

For a long time, one of the main concerns about Greig has been his discipline. For much of his pre-NHL career, he was known for crossing lines and throwing dangerous hits that got him suspended. When he earned his first NHL suspension before even playing his first NHL game, it was very funny, but still concerning. In his first full season, Greig earned himself 26 penalties, which was the second most on the team behind Brady Tkachuk, and led the team in minor penalties. I have also been reliably informed that doing a slapshot on an empty net merits a trial at the Hague. Compared to his previous record, though, Greig certainly seems to have cleaned up his game. Not even a single misconduct this season! He still plays a physical style, but he’s more of a pest than an actual danger to other players, able to contribute on the scoresheet and draw penalties.

In fact, Natural Stat Trick says that Greig drew 24 penalties this season, which is the 5th most of any rookie, and also the 5th most on the Sens. He and Timmy together should cause havoc in the division for years to come.

He may not have earned himself a Calder nomination, but Greig put together a great rookie season, and seems poised to play an important role on the team for years to come.